Politicians live considerably longer than the population they represent. This is the conclusion of an international study by British and Australian researchers. In Austria, a 45-year-old politician has a life expectancy of another 40.1 years, but a person of the same age from the general population has only 36.2 years ahead of them – the difference in this country is 3.9 years.
For the study by researchers led by Philip Clarke of the Health Economics Research Center at the University of Oxford, the data of more than 57,000 politicians from eleven countries (Australia, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, USA and Austria – i.e. high-income countries).
death rate
From Austria data of 2,664 MPs (16 percent women) from the period 1918 – 2017 are included. The analysis found that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, politicians in nearly all countries had death rates comparable to those of the general population. But over the course of the 20th century, the differences in all countries have increased significantly. The result of this development: “Politicians have an increasing survival advantage over the general population,” the researchers write.
“The biggest differences in life expectancy in Austria were in the 1970s and 1980s,” explains Philip Clarke. The rapid increase in life expectancy in recent decades has led to a decrease in these disparities – from about six to just under four years.
Rising inequality
The background to this is the fact that life expectancy in many high-income countries has not improved in recent years and has even fallen in the poorest layers of the population. This is attributed to increasing inequality, exacerbated by, for example, the corona pandemic. The question is whether certain high-status professions, such as that of a politician, are associated with better health and thus a longer life expectancy.
Life expectancy
The magnitude of this benefit varies widely: in Italy, for example, a citizen was 2.2 times more likely to die within a year than a politician of the same age and gender. In New Zealand, on the other hand, this chance was only 1.2 times greater. In Austria, a member of the general public is 1.33 times more likely to die within a year than a politician. The difference in life expectancy at age 45 between politicians and the general public has also increased significantly in the second half of the 20th century: the difference here is between about three years in Switzerland and seven years in the US.
Part of the differences in the eleven countries could be explained by the generally above-average salaries of politicians, according to the scientists. However, the results would indicate that other factors also play a role. Because the differences in life expectancy widened half a century before income inequality.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
