Socio-Economic Differences in Life Expectancy - the Potential of the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (Soziale Unterschiede in der Lebenserwartung - Moeglichkeiten auf Basis des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels)

Abstract

This paper describes the potential of analysing socio-economic inequalities in life expectancy using the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (GSOEP). It includes a short review on available data sources and recent evidence on inequalities in life expectancy for Germany. Subsequently the characteristics and issues with the analysis of mortality using the SOEP are discussed. The main problem regarding the goal of providing undistorted estimates for the life expectancy of social strata using the SOEP is the overestimation of life expectancy in the study population. We will present a method that allows to overcome this problem by using data of the official life tables for Germany.

Note: Downloadable document is in German.

Keywords: Health, Income and Poverty, Methods

JEL Classification: I32, D63, C23