New Irish Research Shows that the Gap in Life Expectancy Between Social Groups Increased During the Boom

A conference at the ESRI today (Wednesday 25th February 2015) will examine how mortality rates in Ireland vary across different socio-economic groups. The conference “Socio-Economic Inequalities in Mortality in Ireland Over Time and Place”, will focus on research carried out by the ESRI, TCD, and NUI Maynooth.   Life expectancy in Ireland has been increasing for over half a century and Irish research shows that the rate of improvement increased during the economic boom around the turn of the century. Recent Irish research shows that this large improvement in life expectancy was not shared equally across social groups. For example, whereas death rates among male professionals, managers and the self-employed decreased by 27% between the 1990s and 2000’s, those among male working class groups decreased by 12%. Deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory causes have continued to fall across all groups.

The growing gap between social groups can largely be explained by changes in the pattern of deaths from external causes (accidents, poisonings, assault and suicide) and digestive causes (diseases of the liver, oesophagus etc). Among women deaths from cancer also contribute to a widening gap between social groups.

Research Findings:

• Between 1950 and 2012 life expectancy in Ireland grew by 15 years on average, from 66 to 81. This increase reflects real improvements in living standards and the adoption of healthier lifestyles. Reductions in smoking since the 1970s are particularly important.
• The rate of improvement in life expectancy increased around 2000. For example, between 1996 and 1999 death rates fell by 5%, but by 26% between 2000 and 2004.
• Irish research suggests that this improvement was due to improvements in the control of cardiovascular and respiratory conditions in the late 1990s among those aged 65+.
• All social groups have experienced improvements in life expectancy since the 1980s.
• However, a growing gap has emerged in life expectancy across social groups. Whereas death rates for male manual workers were 100% higher than among professional groups in the 1980s, this disparity increased to 140% during the 2000s.
• The growing gap across social groups largely reflects an increasing gap between non-manual and manual groups for deaths from external causes, digestive disease and cancers (in the case of women).
• Whereas mortality rates among male manual groups from external causes were 2.3 times higher than the professional groups in the 1980s, they were 3.9 times higher in the 2000s.
• It is not possible to disaggregate deaths from external causes in Ireland at present but evidence from previous Irish research suggests suicide among younger unemployed men and increasing death rates from industrial and farming accidents during the economic boom may be important. Forthcoming ESRI research will examine this.
• The female mortality rate among manual groups from digestive causes were 1.5 times higher than the professional group in the 1980s. By the 2000s, this differential had increased to 2.1.
• Rises in deaths from digestive diseases such as cirrhosis are strongly linked to increased alcohol consumption.
• Measured across all age groups, the death rate in the geographic area with the highest rate was four times that of the area with the lowest rate in 2011.
• When comparison is confined to deaths among those aged under 75, the death rate in the geographic area with the highest rate is six times that of the area with the lowest rate.

Commenting on the findings, Prof Richard Layte (TCD/ESRI)said:

“This is the first analysis of the way that differentials in mortality changed during the last three decades in Ireland. The good news is that life expectancy for all groups in Ireland is at an all time high. The bad news is that the gap between groups has increased. This project attempts to understand why and what we can do about it.”

Funding for this research was provided by the Health Research Board.

For further Information please contact: Professor Richard Layte, Trinity College Dublin and the Economic and Social Research Institute

Email: layter@tcd.ie   A full programme for the conference is available here.