Abstract

with Adam A. Leive (University of Virginia)

We examine changes mortality patterns between 2001 and 2017 for population subgroups stratified by sex, race/ethnicity, age, and education quartiles. Our analysis reveals three primary findings. First, the most favorable mortality trends are generally observed for non-Hispanic blacks and the most detrimental ones for non-Hispanic whites. Second, the worst mortality experiences have generally occurred among young adults (those in their twenties and thirties) with fairly continuous improvements in the trends at later ages, although with some heterogeneity across specific groups. Third, the patterns vary substantially by gender with one of the most important differences being that the mortality reductions generally increase monotonically with education for females but not for males. Especially noteworthy is that the mortality performance of the lowest education quartile is often surprisingly favorable for men, with the worst outcomes frequently observed for men in the third (next-to-highest) quartile. Taken together, these findings are difficult to reconcile with unidimensional explanations focusing on broad economic or social trends.

Light lunch provided for registered participants; please register by October 24, 10:00 a.m. (registration link below seminar title)