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Subjective length of life of European individuals at older ages: Temporal and gender distinctions

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  • Dimiter Philipov
  • Sergei Scherbov

Abstract

This paper examines how older individuals living in 9 European countries evaluate their chances of survival. We use survey data for the years 2004 and 2015 to construct population-level gender-specific subjective length of life (or subjective life expectancy) in people between 60 and 90 years of age. Using a specially designed statistical approach based on survival analysis, we compare people's estimated subjective life expectancies with those actually observed. We find subjective life expectancies to be lower than actual life expectancies for both genders in 2004. In 2015 men become more realistic in the sense that their subjective life expectancy is close to what was actually observed, while women retain their subjective expectations of a shorter than actual life expectancy. These results help to better understand how people might construct diverse decisions related to their remaining life course.

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  • Dimiter Philipov & Sergei Scherbov, 2020. "Subjective length of life of European individuals at older ages: Temporal and gender distinctions," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(3), pages 1-14, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0229975
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229975
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Marie Lechler & Uwe Sunde, 2020. "Aging, Proximity to Death, and Religiosity," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 46(4), pages 735-755, December.
    3. Sunde, Uwe, 2023. "Age, longevity, and preferences," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 24(C).
    4. Backhaus, Andreas & Barslund, Mikkel, 2021. "The effect of grandchildren on grandparental labor supply: Evidence from Europe," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    5. Reuben Ng & Heather G. Allore & Becca R. Levy, 2020. "Self-Acceptance and Interdependence Promote Longevity: Evidence From a 20-year Prospective Cohort Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-15, August.
    6. David A. Comerford, 2021. "Apparent age and gender differences in survival optimism: To what extent are they a bias in the translation of beliefs onto a percentage scale?," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 16(4), pages 1072-1096, July.
    7. Manish Kumar & Shobhit Srivastava & T. Muhammad & Priya Saravanakumar, 2022. "Examining the association between health status and subjective life expectancy among older Indian adults based on the mindsponge approach," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-10, December.

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