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. 2009 Nov;46(4):805-25.
doi: 10.1353/dem.0.0071.

Income inequality and self-rated health status: evidence from the European Community Household Panel

Vincent Hildebrand  1 , Philippe Van Kerm
Affiliations

Income inequality and self-rated health status: evidence from the European Community Household Panel

Vincent Hildebrand et al. Demography. 2009 Nov.

Abstract

We examine the effect of income inequality on individuals' self-rated health status in a pooled sample of 11 countries, using longitudinal data from the European Community Household Panel survey. Taking advantage of the longitudinal and cross-national nature of our data, and carefully modeling the self-reported health information, we avoid several of the pitfalls suffered by earlier studies on this topic. We calculate income inequality indices measured at two standard levels of geography (NUTS-0 and NUTS-1) and find consistent evidence that income inequality is negatively related to self-rated health status in the European Union for both men and women, particularly when measured at national level. However, despite its statistical significance, the magnitude of the impact of inequality on health is very small.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Thematic Maps for 11 European Countries: Gini Coefficient (top left), Average Household Income (top right), Percentage of Men Aged 24–75 Reporting Poor Health (bottom left), and Percentage of Women Aged 24–75 Reporting Poor Health (bottom right) Note: Estimates are from ECHP data (1995–2001) for Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
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