Age Differences in Material Deprivation in Finland: How do Consensus and Prevalence-Based Weighting Approaches Change the Picture?

Abstract

While material deprivation is often used to measure poverty, analyses focusing on the measurement of material deprivation are scarce. This study provides new information on material deprivation by analyzing how differences in the considerations of necessities and possession of deprivation items among all respondents and within population subgroups affect group-level differences in material deprivation in Finland. In line with many previous studies on material deprivation, this study focused on age groups. There is a significant age gradient regarding considerations of necessities, possession, and deprivation of many deprivation items. On average, younger adults experience material deprivation more often than older adults do. This study considers the differences in the considerations of necessities and possession of deprivation items using different weighting approaches. The study found that these differences are not largely transmitted to deprivation indices. Two causes of this finding were found: (1) individuals, on average, are not deprived of items in which there are differences between age groups regarding consensus and prevalence and (2) in those items in which deprivation is high, the consensus and the prevalence rates are often lower compared to other items. The results provide new information on which factors are important when using weighting approaches to measure material deprivation.

Association Between Age and Subjective Economic Hardship Across the Income Distribution in Europe

“…Older people consume less than their younger counterparts (Ahonen & Vaittinen, 2015), they have less self-indulgent and more environment-friendly consumption attitudes (Berg, 2015;Kuoppamäki et al, 2017), and they have different views on what kinds of items and activities are necessities (e.g. Pantazis et al, 2006;Ilmakunnas & Mäkinen, 2021). Consequently, the amount of expenses is likely to vary across the life course.…”

Ageing of the European Population and Deprivation

“…The silver generation is frequently researched in literature; the ages of 50+ are more suitable for searching for the process of ageing than for a state or situation. In the study based on a sample survey in Finland from 2015 (Ilmakunnas & Mäkinen, 2021), a significant percentage of respondents (more than 50%) in the age groups 50-59 and 60-70 years is included, but the indices of material deprivation are not oriented on this group (the range of respondents is 18-70). The study concentrates on age differences related to material deprivation.…”