Individuals who are 50ֵ9 years-old and from the poorest fifth of the population are over 10 times more likely to die than their peers from the richest fifth. This and other key findings emerge from the latest results of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA).
The data, which is published tomorrow in the report ђetirement, health and relationships in the older population in EnglandҬ is the second set of results to be released from the most comprehensive study into the economic, social, psychological and health elements of the ageing process in Europe.
The multidisciplinary study follows the life experiences of a cohort of people born before 1952 through detailed interviews on many aspects of their life at two year intervals. In the 2004ֵ study, 8,780 people were interviewed on aspects of their life which included: health, work, spending, receipt of healthcare, social participation and cognitive ability. In particular, the report examines an important aspect of diversity: how each of these areas varies according to an individual's level of wealth.
Authors
James Banks
James is Senior Research Fellow and Professor of Economics at Manchester, working on broad issues in the economics of retirement, savings and health.
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