The Relationship between Education and Adult Mortality in the United States

44 Pages Posted: 7 Jun 2002 Last revised: 23 Jul 2022

See all articles by Adriana Lleras-Muney

Adriana Lleras-Muney

Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: June 2002

Abstract

Prior research has uncovered a large and positive correlation between education and health. This paper examines whether education has a causal impact on health. I follow synthetic cohorts using successive U.S. censuses to estimate the impact of educational attainment on mortality rates. I use compulsory education laws from 1915 to 1939 as instruments for education. The results suggest that education has a causal impact on mortality, and that this effect is perhaps larger than has been previously estimated in the literature.

Suggested Citation

Lleras-Muney, Adriana, The Relationship between Education and Adult Mortality in the United States (June 2002). NBER Working Paper No. w8986, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=315336

Adriana Lleras-Muney (Contact Author)

Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs ( email )

Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544-1021
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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