Does income inequality have lasting effects on health and trust?

Rözer, Jesper; Völker, Beate

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.11.047

Cited by 50 publications

(44 citation statements)

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“…Support for this pathway was recently reported by Rözer and Volker (2016). Using data collected in 30 countries, they found that social trust partially mediated a negative association between national income inequality and poor self-rated health in adolescents and young adults (16 to 25 years).…”

Section: A C C E P T E D Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 53%

“…These psychosocial and developmental perspectives, alongside other evidence that shows that income inequality correlates with poor self-rated health (Rözer & Volker, 2016) There is also a material interpretation of these links between early-life income inequality and adolescent health and well-being that focuses on taxation policies and the coverage and generosity of social security services, income supports, parental leave benefits, health visiting, home nurses, and early childhood education (Evans, 2002). Previous studies found that reduced cash transfers to families and poorer quality health and social services are material consequences of income inequality (Dunn, Burgess, & Ross, 2005) and negatively impact parental behaviours and maternal and child health outcomes (Brownell et al, 2016;Jackson, Brooks-Gunn, Huang, & Glassman, 2000).…”

Section: A C C E P T E D Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An analysis of adolescent health in 34 mostly high-income countries found that national income inequality related to higher body mass indices, less physical activity, and more self-rated mental and physical health symptoms (Elgar et al, 2015). Other research on children and youth found that national or regional income inequality relates to poor self-rated health (Rözer & Volker, 2016) (Eckenrode, Smith, McCarthy, & Dineen, 2014). Pickett and Wilkinson (2007; reported that international differences in UNICEF indices of child well-being relate more closely to national income inequality than to country wealth.…”

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Early-life income inequality and adolescent health and well-being

Elgar

Gariépy

Torsheim

et al. 2017

Social Science & Medicine

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A prevailing hypothesis about the association between income inequality and poor health is that inequality intensifies social hierarchies, increases stress, erodes social and material resources that support health, and subsequently harms health. However, the evidence in support of this hypothesis is limited by cross-sectional, ecological studies and a scarcity of developmental studies. To address this limitation, we used pooled, multilevel data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study to examine lagged, cumulative, and trajectory associations between early-life income inequality and adolescent health and well-being. Psychosomatic symptoms and life satisfaction were assessed in surveys of 11-to 15-year-olds in 40 countries between 1994 and 2014. We linked these data to national Gini indices of income inequality for every life year from 1979 to 2014. The results showed that exposure to income inequality from 0 to 4 years uniquely predicted psychosomatic symptoms and lower life satisfaction after controlling lifetime mean income inequality, national per capita income, family affluence, age, and cohort and period effects.Income inequality from 5 to 9 years also related to symptoms and low life satisfaction in females.The cumulative income inequality exposure in infancy and childhood (i.e., average Gini index from birth to age 10) related to more symptoms and lower life satisfaction in adolescence. Finally, individual trajectories in early-life inequality (i.e., linear slopes in Gini indices from birth to 10 years) related to fewer symptoms and higher life satisfaction, indicating that earlier exposures mattered more to predicting adolescent health and wellbeing. These results help to establish the antecedent-consequence conditions in the association between income inequality and health and suggest that both the magnitude and timing of income inequality in early life have developmental consequences that manifest in reduced health and well-being in adolescence. M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT3 Keywords: Income inequality; adolescents; children; health; well-being; Health Behaviour in School-aged Children. M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT4 Early-life income inequality and adolescent health and well-being Socioeconomic contexts shape and constrain adolescent health and well-being (Chen & Paterson, 2006). Recent evidence suggests that socioeconomic differences in adolescent health have widened due to rising income inequality (Elgar et al., 2015; Viner et al., 2012). Income inequality also correlates with poor health and social outcomes (Kondo et al., 2009; Wilkinson & Pickett, 2010). An analysis of adolescent health in 34 mostly high-income countries found that national income inequality related to higher body mass indices, less physical activity, and more self-rated mental and physical health symptoms (Elgar et al., 2015). Other research on children and youth found that national or regional income inequality relates to poor self-rated health (Rözer ...

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Section: A C C E P T E D Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 53%

Section: A C C E P T E D Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Early-life income inequality and adolescent health and well-being

Elgar

Gariépy

Torsheim

et al. 2017

Social Science & Medicine

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“…Indeed, it has been shown that high-income inequality in a country lowers levels of social trust (e.g. Aida et al 2011;Rözer and Volker 2015). The key reason for this relationship is the aversion to the heterogeneity principle (Alesina and La Ferrara 2000).…”

Section: The Differing Impact Of Social Trustmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the pathway between national income inequality and feelings of health that is mediated through social trust has been often investigated (e.g. Kawachi and Kennedy 1999;Aida et al 2011;Mansyur et al 2008;Rözer and Volker 2015), the possibility that social trust moderates the relationship between national income inequality and health has not yet been examined. As we argue in this study, high social trust might be a condition under which income inequality is especially harmful.…”

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confidence: 99%

National income inequality and self-rated health: the differing impact of individual social trust across 89 countries

2016

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The Income Inequality Hypothesis Revisited: Assessing the Hypothesis Using Four Methodological Approaches

Kragten

Rözer

2016

Soc Indic Res

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The income inequality hypothesis states that income inequality has a negative effect on individual's health, partially because it reduces social trust. This article aims to critically assess the income inequality hypothesis by comparing several analytical strategies, namely OLS regression, multilevel regression, fixed effects models and fixed effects models using pseudo panel data. To test the hypothesis, data from two studies conducted between 1981 and 2014 were combined: the World Values Survey and the European Values Study. Three frequently used measures of health were taken into account. In the OLS and multilevel models, income inequality was often associated with better health, whereas in the fixed effects and pseudo panel data, income inequality was associated with poorer health, suggesting that the unexpected results of the OLS and multilevel methods might be explained by unobserved confounders. Furthermore, in almost all of the models, social trust mediates the relationship between income inequality and health, showing the importance of this mechanism. Interestingly, the pseudo panel data offer the strongest support for the income inequality hypothesis, suggesting that better controlling for confounding factors and/or more carefully monitoring cohort effects, may result in a better understanding whether and how income inequality can be harmful for people's health.

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Does income inequality have lasting effects on health and trust?

Cited by 50 publications

References 44 publications

Early-life income inequality and adolescent health and well-being

Early-life income inequality and adolescent health and well-being

National income inequality and self-rated health: the differing impact of individual social trust across 89 countries

The Income Inequality Hypothesis Revisited: Assessing the Hypothesis Using Four Methodological Approaches

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