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MODELLING SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES IN MORTALITY USING A NEW AFFLUENCE INDEX

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2019

Andrew J.G. Cairns*
Affiliation:
Maxwell Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK Department of Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK E-mail: [email protected]
Malene Kallestrup-Lamb
Affiliation:
Department of Economics and Business Economics, Center for Research in Econometric Analysis of Time Series (CREATES) Aarhus University, Fuglesangs Allé 4, DK-8210 Aarhus V, Denmark E-mail: [email protected]
Carsten Rosenskjold
Affiliation:
Department of Economics and Business Economics, Center for Research in Econometric Analysis of Time Series (CREATES) Aarhus University, Fuglesangs Allé 4, DK-8210 Aarhus V, Denmark E-mail: [email protected]
David Blake
Affiliation:
Pensions Institute, Cass Business School, City University of London, London EC1Y 8TZ, UK E-mail: [email protected]
Kevin Dowd
Affiliation:
Durham University Business School Durham DH1 3LB, UK E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

We introduce a new modelling framework to explain socio-economic differences in mortality in terms of an affluence index that combines information on individual wealth and income. The model is illustrated using data on older Danish males over the period 1985–2012 reported in the Statistics Denmark national register database. The model fits the historical mortality data well, captures their key features, generates smoothed death rates that allow us to work with a larger number of sub-groups than has previously been considered feasible, and has plausible projection properties.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Astin Bulletin 2019 

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