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Income inequality and its relationship with loneliness prevalence: A cross-sectional study among older adults in the US and 16 European countries

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  • Thamara Tapia-Muñoz
  • Ursula M Staudinger
  • Kasim Allel
  • Andrew Steptoe
  • Claudia Miranda-Castillo
  • José T Medina
  • Esteban Calvo

Abstract

Backgrounds: The prevalence of loneliness increases among older adults, varies across countries, and is related to within-country socioeconomic, psychosocial, and health factors. The 2000–2019 pooled prevalence of loneliness among adults 60 years and older went from 5.2% in Northern Europe to 24% in Eastern Europe, while in the US was 56% in 2012. The relationship between country-level factors and loneliness, however, has been underexplored. Because income inequality shapes material conditions and relative social deprivation and has been related to loneliness in 11 European countries, we expected a relationship between income inequality and loneliness in the US and 16 European countries. Methods: We used secondary cross-sectional data for 75,891 adults age 50+ from HRS (US 2014), ELSA (England, 2014), and SHARE (15 European countries, 2013). Loneliness was measured using the R-UCLA three-item scale. We employed hierarchical logistic regressions to analyse whether income inequality (GINI coefficient) was associated with loneliness prevalence. Results: The prevalence of loneliness was 25.32% in the US (HRS), 17.55% in England (ELSA) and ranged from 5.12% to 20.15% in European countries (SHARE). Older adults living in countries with higher income inequality were more likely to report loneliness, even after adjusting for the sociodemographic composition of the countries and their Gross Domestic Products per capita (OR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.17–1.97). Discussion: Greater country-level income inequality was associated with higher prevalence of loneliness over and above individual-level sociodemographics. The present study is the first attempt to explore income inequality as a predictor of loneliness prevalence among older adults in the US and 16 European countries. Addressing income distribution and the underlying experience of relative deprivation might be an opportunity to improve older adults’ life expectancy and wellbeing by reducing loneliness prevalence.

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  • Thamara Tapia-Muñoz & Ursula M Staudinger & Kasim Allel & Andrew Steptoe & Claudia Miranda-Castillo & José T Medina & Esteban Calvo, 2022. "Income inequality and its relationship with loneliness prevalence: A cross-sectional study among older adults in the US and 16 European countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(12), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0274518
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274518
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nigel Kragten & Jesper Rözer, 2017. "The Income Inequality Hypothesis Revisited: Assessing the Hypothesis Using Four Methodological Approaches," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 131(3), pages 1015-1033, April.
    2. Gerst-Emerson, K. & Jayawardhana, J., 2015. "Loneliness as a public health issue: The impact of loneliness on health care utilization among older adults," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(5), pages 1013-1019.
    3. Layte, Richard & Whelan, Christopher T., 2014. "Who Feels Inferior? A Test of the Status Anxiety Hypothesis of Social Inequalities in Health," Papers WP476, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
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    1. Jun Li & Tiantian Li & Wei Wang, 2024. "The impact of income inequality on the fertility intention: A micro perspective based on relative deprivation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(12), pages 1-20, December.

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