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Objective and Subjective Health: An Analysis of Inequality for the European Union

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Abstract

In advanced societies, the right to health has a leading position within the instruments enshrined in the human rights. All countries, including those at the top of economic prosperity and human development, record systematic, often substantial, inequalities in mortality and morbidity between people with higher socio-economic position and poorer citizens. This also applies to the welfare states of western Europe. This work proposes two indicators of “objective” and “subjective” health for EU countries and verifies their relationship with income distribution. In the emerging picture, the “objective” and “subjective” dimensions seem to have their own explanations, affected variously by income differences. The results provide useful hints for social and health policy in European countries.

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Notes

  1. Although the inclusion of Croatia would have been of great interest, we decided not to consider for two reasons: first, this research began immediately after its official entry, then many considerations and assessments were made without taking this into account; secondly, most of the databases used, due to the recent entry, did not include Croatia in numerous surveys.

  2. In this way, we obtained a complete and exhaustive dataset, with no missing data.

  3. They analysed 21 studies, 15 about the U.S.

  4. The same authors, reporting the conclusions of other studies, confirm however that there is a positive relation between universal welfare policy and overall level of health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy

    Enrico Ivaldi & Riccardo Soliani

  2. Department of Economics, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy

    Guido Bonatti

Authors
  1. Enrico Ivaldi
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  2. Guido Bonatti
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Correspondence to Enrico Ivaldi.

Appendix: Descriptive Statistics of the Variables Selected

Appendix: Descriptive Statistics of the Variables Selected

 

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

SD

Asymmetry

Kurtosis

Descriptive statistics

Alcohol consumption

84.70

93.10

89.31

1.91

0.08

0.35

Tobacco consumption

60.00

87.00

71.70

5.18

0.38

2.30

Cancer deaths

0.42

0.85

0.60

0.09

0.59

1.30

Suicide deaths

0.03

0.34

0.11

0.07

2.12

5.14

Obesity rate

71.30

84.40

78.54

3.75

−0.02

−1.11

Infant mortality rate

90.60

97.90

95.89

1.75

−1.78

3.07

Individuals who experience anxiety

25.60

76.40

61.36

10.60

−1.41

3.85

Discouraged and or depressed individuals

43.90

90.70

77.88

9.74

−1.73

4.56

Practice of sport or exercise

3.90

44.10

16.47

9.19

1.17

1.88

Satisfaction with health

6.50

8.40

7.37

0.47

0.03

−0.45

Scale of psychological well-being

56.40

70.10

62.00

3.57

0.17

-0.84

  1. Sample size: 27 countries

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Ivaldi, E., Bonatti, G. & Soliani, R. Objective and Subjective Health: An Analysis of Inequality for the European Union. Soc Indic Res 138, 1279–1295 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-017-1686-1

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