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The Great Divide: Education, Despair, and Death
1School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544.
Annual Review of Economics
|August 22, 2022
Summary
Deaths of despair and rising mortality in the US disproportionately affect adults without a college degree. This trend highlights a growing divergence in health outcomes by education level, impacting societal well-being.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sociology
- Health Economics
Background:
- Rising rates of 'deaths of despair,' morbidity, and emotional distress in the US.
- Disproportionate burden of these issues on adults lacking a college degree.
- Growing divergence in all-cause mortality by education level, unique among developed nations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the increasing prevalence of pain, despair, and suicide among individuals without a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.
- To examine the role of pharmaceutical companies and political factors in escalating addiction.
- To analyze the 'politics of despair' and shifting political affiliations based on health and education.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and analysis of trends in mortality and morbidity.
- Examination of the relationship between education, economic factors, and health outcomes.
- Analysis of political voting patterns in relation to state health indicators.
Main Results:
- Significant increase in pain, despair, and suicide among non-college-educated adults.
- Opioid addiction escalation linked to pharmaceutical marketing and political influence.
- COVID-19 mortality in 2020 mirrored pre-existing educational disparities in mortality rates.
- Shifting political alignments, with less-healthy states now tending to vote Republican.
Conclusions:
- Educational attainment is a critical determinant of health outcomes and mortality in the US.
- The 'politics of despair' reflects a societal disconnect and abandonment of less-educated populations.
- Addressing the complex interplay of economic, social, and political factors is crucial to mitigate these trends.
Keywords:
COVID epidemicdeaths of despaireducational status [N01.824.196]opioid epidemicpain [F02.830.816.444]politics of despairMore Related Videos
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