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Is Economic Policy Uncertainty Related to Suicide Rates? Evidence from the United States

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  • Nikolaos Antonakakis

    (University of Portsmouth
    Webster Vienna Private University)

  • Rangan Gupta

    (University of Pretoria)

Abstract

While it has long been recognised that periods of economic uncertainty, characterised by increased unemployment and lower economic activity, are associated with increased suicide rates, no study has examined the impact of policy-related economic uncertainty on suicide mortality. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between economic policy uncertainty and suicide mortality in the United States over the period 1950–2013 , while controlling for several other socioeconomic determinants of suicide mortality, as well as age- and gender-variations. The results of the analysis reveal that increased economic policy uncertainty is associated with increased suicide mortality of the youngest and the oldest segments of the male population in the United States, while the female population across all ages is found to be resilient to changes in economic policy uncertainty.

Suggested Citation

  • Nikolaos Antonakakis & Rangan Gupta, 2017. "Is Economic Policy Uncertainty Related to Suicide Rates? Evidence from the United States," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 133(2), pages 543-560, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:133:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s11205-016-1384-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-016-1384-4
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    3. Ichiro Kawachi & Ilias Kyriopoulos & Sotiris Vandoros, 2023. "Economic uncertainty and cardiovascular disease mortality," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(7), pages 1550-1560, July.
    4. Kyriopoulos, Ilias & Nikoloski, Zlatko & Mossialos, Elias, 2019. "Does economic recession impact newborn health? Evidence from Greece," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 237(C), pages 1-1.
    5. Kanavos, Panos & Vandoros, Sotiris, 2023. "Road traffic mortality and economic uncertainty: Evidence from the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 326(C).
    6. Solarin, Sakiru Adebola & Gil-Alana, Luis A., 2021. "The persistence of economic policy uncertainty: Evidence of long range dependence," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 568(C).
    7. Claveria, Oscar, 2022. "Global economic uncertainty and suicide: Worldwide evidence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    8. Apergis, Emmanuel & Apergis, Iraklis & Apergis, Nicholas, 2019. "A new macro stress testing approach for financial realignment in the Eurozone," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 52-80.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    United States; Economic policy uncertainty; Suicide;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E60 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - General
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • C22 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes

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