Dissertation

Educational inequalities in life expectancy in Europe: past trends and their impact on overall longevity trends

Abstract

Socio-economic inequalities in mortality have been large and persistent over time in Europe. This thesis provided detailed insights into past trends in educational inequalities in life expectancy and their overall impact on national longevity trends in England & Wales, Finland, and Italy (Turin) using individually linked mortality data by educational level (low, middle, high), sex, single age (30+), and single calendar year from 1971 to 2019, and applying advanced statistical and demographic techniques.
Although educational inequalities in remaining life expectancy at age 30 (e30) were generally larger or more equal in the 2010s than in the 1970s, important breakpoints and reversals in the trends occurred. The observed increases and recent trend reversals were largely driven by the increasing educational inequalities in alcohol-attributable mortality in England & Wales and Finland (1987-2007), and the subsequent declining inequalities in alcohol-attributable mortality in Finland, respectively. The mortality trends among the low-educated not only played an important role in explaining the trends and trend breaks in educational inequalities in e30, but also contributed the most to the observed increases in national e30 in the three countries. Moreover, stagnating mortality declines among the low-educated and among middle-educated males contributed the most to the stagnation in the increase in e30 in England & Wales since 2011.
Socio-economic inequalities are plastic and can be reduced, especially by tackling mortality linked to unhealthy lifestyle factors (alcohol consumption, smoking, and obesity) among the low-educated. Reducing these inequalities can contribute to longer and more equal lifespans for all members of society.