Education and income gradients in longevity: The role of policy

Lleras‐Muney, Adriana

doi:10.1111/caje.12582

Cited by 15 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 176 publications

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“…Existing research has found somewhat mixed effects of CSLs using IV, 7 potentially due to limited power or because of underlying heterogeneity in the impacts of increased schooling. 26 Our research tried to address prior challenges by using a 1% population sample, all death certificate data, and ITT estimates. By combining ACS population data with the national vital statistics data, we simulated a national cohort.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical state compulsory schooling laws and pandemic-era mortality: A quasi-experimental study

Wells,

Chen,

Charpignon

et al. 2024

Preprint

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IntroductionLow educational attainment is associated with increased risk of COVID-19 mortality, but it remains unclear whether the link between education and COVID-19 mortality is causal or due to confounding factors, such as childhood socio-economic status or cognitive skills. To address this question, we evaluated whether older adults’ risk of COVID-19 mortality was associated with historical state-level compulsory schooling laws (CSLs) applicable when they were school-aged. We also evaluated whether that impact was unique to COVID-19 mortality or also applied to all-cause mortality, both before and during the pandemic.MethodsWe defined mortality outcomes using US death certificate data from Mar 2019-Dec 2021 for people born in the US before 1964 in three time periods: the year prior to the pandemic (Mar 2019-Feb 2020), pandemic year 1 (Mar 2020-Feb 2021), and pandemic year 2 (Mar-Dec 2021). We determined the population at risk using 2019 American Community Survey PUMS data with population weights, representing 78.7 million individuals born in the US before 1964. We linked individuals to the number of mandatory years of education defined by CSLs specific to their state of birth and years when school age. We estimated intention-to-treat effects of CSLs on mortality using logistic regressions controlling for state-of-birth fixed effects, birth year (linear and quadratic), sex, race, ethnicity, and state-level factors including percent urban, Black, and foreign-born (at age 6) and manufacturing jobs per capita and average manufacturing wages (at age 14).ResultsWe identified a dose-response relationship between CSLs and mortality. In the first year of the pandemic, people mandated to receive 8 vs 9 (reference) years of education had higher odds of COVID-19 mortality (Odds Ratio [OR]: 1.15; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.10, 1.19), while those mandated to receive 10 vs 9 (reference) years of education had lower odds of COVID-19 mortality (OR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.94, 0.98). The association of CSLs with COVID-19 mortality was similar in pandemic years 1 and 2; for all-cause mortality in pandemic years 1 and 2; and for all-cause mortality in the year prior to the pandemic. Results were robust to alternative model specifications.ConclusionsThese findings support a causal benefit of education for reduced mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic. State investments in children’s education may have reduced pandemic-era mortality decades later. Our research has implications beyond the pandemic context, as our results suggest the observed relationship mirrors a pre-existing relationship between CSLs and all-cause mortality.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical state compulsory schooling laws and pandemic-era mortality: A quasi-experimental study

Wells,

Chen,

Charpignon

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…They show that they show that a one-unit decrease in average blood lead level is associated with about 8 percent in the probability of being below proficient in reading. The skill developments specifically through cognitive skills and educational attainments may affect old-age longevity through several channels, such as increases in income, occupational choice, social relations, peer selection, and labor market outcomes (Buckles et al, 2016;Cutler et al, 2015;Fletcher, 2012Fletcher, , 2015Fletcher & Frisvold, 2014Fletcher & Marksteiner, 2017;Lleras-Muney, 2022;Lleras-Muney et al, 2020;Lleras-Muney, 2005;Meghir et al, 2018;Savelyev, 2020;Savelyev et al, 2022).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxified to the Bone: Early-Life and Childhood Exposure to Lead and Men’s Old-Age Mortality

Fletcher,

Noghanibehambari

2023

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Several strands of research document the life-cycle impacts of lead exposure during the critical period of children's development. Yet little is known about long-run effects of lead exposure during early-life on old-age mortality outcomes. This study exploits the staggered installation of water systems across 761 cities in the US over the first decades of the 20th century combined with cross-city differences in materials used in water pipelines to identify lead and non-lead cities. An event-study analysis suggests that the impacts are more concentrated on children exposed during in-utero up to age 10. The results of difference-in-difference analysis suggests an intent-to-treat effect of 2.7 months reduction in old-age longevity for fully exposed cohorts. A heterogeneity analysis reveals effects that are 3.5 and 2 times larger among the nonwhite subpopulation and low socioeconomic status families, respectively. We also find reductions in education and socioeconomic standing during early adulthood as candidate mechanism. Finally, we employ WWII enlistment data and observe reductions in height-for-age among lead-exposed cohorts.

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“…Using a large dataset for the US, [ 1 ] confirmed that income inequalities are associated with longevity inequalities, but the literature is still non conclusive about causal effects [ 29 ]. Within these studies, geographical differences in longevity are often mentioned and more and more analyzed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mortality inequalities in France since the 1920s: Evidence of a reversal of the income gradient in mortality

2023

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Many recent studies show that Europe has had a lower mortality inequality for most ages than the United States over the last thirty years. However, the evolution of the income gradient in mortality all along the twentieth century remains poorly understood. This article uses a unique dataset that gives the annual lifetables and fiscal income for the 90 administrative regions of mainland France from 1922 to 2020. The income gradients in mortality are computed across regions using a traditional method with calendar ages and, alternatively, with mortality milestones to control for the increase in life expectancy over time. The study reveals a systematic reversal of the gradient that occurred around the 1970s for both sexes and all ages or mortality groups when calculated at an aggregated level. Inequality in mortality amongst the oldest age groups has however returned to a level observed at least ten years earlier because of Covid-19, even after controlling for mortality improvements over the period.

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Education and income gradients in longevity: The role of policy

Cited by 15 publications

References 176 publications

Historical state compulsory schooling laws and pandemic-era mortality: A quasi-experimental study

Historical state compulsory schooling laws and pandemic-era mortality: A quasi-experimental study

Toxified to the Bone: Early-Life and Childhood Exposure to Lead and Men’s Old-Age Mortality

Mortality inequalities in France since the 1920s: Evidence of a reversal of the income gradient in mortality

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