The time cost of a disability

We consider how a physical disability alters patterns of time use. A disability may raise the time cost of some activities, making them differentially less worth doing; or it may make switching activities more costly. Both possibilities predict that fewer activities will be undertaken, with more time spent on each. These explanations describe our correlational findings based on non-working ATUS 2008-22 respondents ages 70+, 32 % of whom self-assess a disability. Data from the 2013 Polish Time Use Survey, where disability is medically certified, show similar results and demonstrate the same loss of variety over multiple days. Remarkably similar basic results are found using homogenized British, Canadian, French, Italian, and Spanish time diaries. Evidence from a "sesqui-difference" test on the ATUS data hints that the relationship is causal. Overall, a mobility/physical disability leads an otherwise identical person to engage in over 10 % fewer activities on a typical day. The lost variety represents extra costs equivalent in data from six countries to over twice the average annual income of older individuals.