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Racial-Ethnic Gaps in Pandemic-Related Economic Hardship: Age Differences Among Older Adults
Emily E Wiemers1, I-Fen Lin2, Anna Wiersma Strauss1
1Department of Public Administration and International Affairs, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA.
Summary
Pandemic economic hardship declined with age, but racial-ethnic gaps persisted for those nearing retirement. Structural factors, not individual characteristics, explain these disparities in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Gerontology
- Public Health
Background:
- Racial-ethnic disparities in pandemic-related economic hardship are documented.
- Hardship is less common at older ages, but intersections with race are understudied.
- Research on age and race disparities in later-life pandemic hardship is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate racial-ethnic gaps in economic hardship among older adults during the pandemic.
- Examine how these gaps vary by age group (55-64, 65-74, 75+).
- Identify factors contributing to or mitigating these disparities.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 2018 and 2020 U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS).
- Employed Heckman-corrected linear probability models to analyze economic hardship.
- Controlled for sociodemographics, social program participation, health, and prior economic resources.
Main Results:
- Economic hardship decreased with age across all racial-ethnic groups.
- Racial-ethnic gaps in hardship persisted in older age groups without controls.
- After controls, gaps were eliminated for adults 75+, but not for those aged 55-74.
Conclusions:
- Structural factors created new racial-ethnic gaps in hardship for those approaching retirement (55-74).
- These structural factors did not impact the oldest adults (75+).
- Pre-pandemic individual characteristics explained disparities only for the oldest group.
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