Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson Presentation to the RSA. July 2010

8/9/2019 Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson Presentation to the RSA. July 2010

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Source: Fajnzylber P, Lederman D, Loayza N. Inequality and violent crime. The Journal of

Law and Economics 2002; 45 (1): 1-40.

0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 0.55 0.60

0.1

1

10

100

Ho

micidesper100,00

0population

(logscale)

Income Inequality (Gini)

Latin America

Sub-Saharan AfricaSouth & East Asia

OECD Countries

International relation between homicide and income inequality


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Homicide and income inequality:

US States and Canadian Provinces

0

30

60

90

120

150

180

0.35 0.38 0.41 0.44 0.47

Income Inequality (Gini)

Ho

micidespermillionpeople

More equal More unequal

Source: Daly M, Wilson M, Vasdev S. Income inequality and homicide rates in

Canada and the United States. Canadian Journal of Criminology2001; 43: 219-36.


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Elgar et al. Journal of Adolescent Health 45 (2009) 351359


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6


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Male mortality (25-64 yrs) and income inequality in US

states and Canadian provinces.

Source: Ross NA, Wolfson MC, Dunn JR, Berthelot JM, Kaplan GA,

Lynch JW. British Medical Journal2000;320:898-902
http://www.bmj.com/content/vol320/issue7239/images/large/rosn4890.f1.jpeg


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M

Marmot & Bobak, BMJ 2000;131:1124-8


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Income per person and life-expectancy: rich & poor countries

Source: Wilkinson & Pickett, The Spirit Level (2009) www.equalitytrust.org.uk


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Among the rich countries life expectancy is not related to

national differences in average income

Source: Wilkinson & Pickett, The Spirit Level (2009)www.equalitytrust.org.uk


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but life expectancy is related to income differences

within rich societies



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Index of: Life expectancy

Math & Literacy

Infant mortality

Homicides

Imprisonment

Teenage births

Trust

Obesity

Mental illness incl.

drug & alcohol

addiction

Social mobility

Health and Social Problems are Worse in More Unequal

Countries



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Social Mobility is Higher in More Equal Rich Countries



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Social Mobility Continues to be Higher in More Equal Rich Countries

www.equalitytrust.org.uk


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Levels of Trust are Higher in More Equal Rich Countries

Source: Wilkinson & Pickett, The Spirit Level (2009)

r= -0.66, p


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Levels of Trust are Higher in More Equal Rich Countries, even with

the Nordic countries excluded

r= -0.47, p=0.045


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The murder rate in US states has mirrored

changes in income inequality


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Income Inequality

Trust

Homicides

r = -0.65p


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Income Inequality

Trust

Healthy lifeexpectancy

b = -0.01p=0.004

b = 13.2p=0.001

b = -0.31

p=0.02

Mediation analysis of income

inequality and health

ELGAR, F. J. (in press) Income inequality, trust and population health in 33 countries.Am J Public Health.


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Daly M, Annual meeting of the Homicide ResearchWorking Group, 2010

Homicide is related to inequality among both southernand northern states even when inequality is measured

just among white males


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http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk


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Infant Mortality Rates are Higher in More Unequal Countries



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The age of criminal responsibility is lower in

more unequal societies


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Equal Society

Unequal Society

side from inequality, people in one society may be differe

rom people elsewhere multilevel studies adjust for this

Multilevel Analyses of Income Inequality and Health


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How much richer are the richest

20% than the poorest 20%?

www.equalitytrust.org.ukSource: Wilkinson & Pickett, The Spirit Level (2009)


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Health and Social Problems are not Related to Average

Income in Rich Countries

Index of: Life expectancy

Math & Literacy

Infant mortality

Homicides

Imprisonment

Teenage births

Trust

Obesity

Mental illness incl.

drug & alcohol

addiction

Social mobility



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Child Well-being is Better in More Equal Rich Countries



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Levels of Trust are Higher in More Equal US States



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The Prevalence of Mental Illness is Higher in More

Unequal Rich Countries



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More Adults are Obese in More Unequal Rich Countries



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Drug Use is More Common in More Unequal Countries


Index of use of: opiates, cocaine, cannabis, ecstasy, amphetamines



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Life Expectancy is Longer in More Equal Rich Countries



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Rates of Imprisonment are Higher in More Unequal Countries



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Rate of Imprisonment are Higher in More Unequal US States

Death Penalty:Red = retainedBlue = abolished



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Teenage Birth Rates are Higher in More Unequal Rich Countries



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More Children Drop Out of High School in More Unequal US States



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Teen Pregnancy Rates are Higher in More Unequal US States



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Children Experience More Conflict in More Unequal Societies


11, 13 & 15 yr olds fighting, bullying, and finding peers not kind & helpful



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Child wellbeing and income inequality in US States

Kids Count 10 Item Index of Child Wellbeing


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Health and Social Problems are Worse in More Unequal US

States



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Health & Social Problems are Only Weakly Related to

Average Income in US States



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In fan t Mortality by S oc ial C

Sw eden and Eng land & W

0

2

46

8

10

12

1416

18

I II IIIN IIIM IV V Single

Prnt

Unclass.

E & W

S w e de

Source: Leon DA, Vagero D, Olausson PO. BMJ 1992; 305; 687-91

Infa

ntMortality

r

ate


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Literacy Scores of 16-25 year olds by

Parents' Education

-1.5

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Parents' Education (years)

Literacys

core

Sweden

Canada

United States

Source: Willms JD. 1997. Data from OECD Programme for International Student Assessment.


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0

1 0

2 0

3 0

4 0

5 0

L o w Hig h L o w H ig h L o w H ig h L o w H ig h L o w Hig h

En g lan d

E n g l a n d U S

Diabetes Hypertension Cancer Lung disease Heart disease

Self-reported prevalence of illness by education

%

Source: Banks et al. JAMA 2006; 295: 2037-2045


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Australia

Austria

Belgium Canada

Denmark

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Netherlands

New Zealand

Norway

Portugal

Spain

Sweden

UK

USA

Worse

Better

UNICEFindexofchildwell-being

0 10 20 30Lone parents as % of all households with dependent children

Single parents and child wellbeing


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ACTH

Cortisol

Tasks with both

social-evaluative

threat and

uncontrollability

Other tasks

Effect

size

Source: Dickerson SS & Kemeny ME. Psychological Bulletin 2004; 130(3): 355-91

What kind of stress most reliably raises cortisol levels?


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Stereotype Threat

The effect of caste identity on children's performance

Caste

Unannounced

Caste

Announced0

1

2

3

4

5

6

High Caste

Low Caste

Number

ofmaze s

solved

Source: Hoff K, Pandey P, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 3351, June 2004


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Gilligan J. Violence: Our Deadly Epidemic and its Causes.(G .P. Putnam 1996)

" ...the prison inmates I work with have told me repeatedly,

when I asked them why they had assaulted someone, that it

was because 'he disrespected me', or 'he disrespected my

visit' (meaning 'visitor'). The word 'disrespect' is central in the

vocabulary, moral value system, and psychodynamics ofthese chronically violent men that they have abbreviated it

into the slang term, 'he dis'ed me." p.106

A few pages further on Gilligan continues:-

"I have yet to see a serious act of violence that was not

provoked by the experience of feeling shamed and

humiliated, disrespected and ridiculed, and that did not

represent the attempt to prevent or undo this "loss of face " -

no matter how severe the punishment, even if it includes

death." p.110


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Social status affect brain chemistry and behaviour in monkeys

Living in social groupsincreased happy brainchemicals in dominantmonkeys but producedno change in subordinatemonkeys.

These neurobiologicalchanges had an importantbehaviouralinfluence

When given access tococaine, dominant monkeystook less than subordinates

Source: Morgan, D et al. Nature Neuroscience 2002; 5(2), 169-174.


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Plasma fibrinogen by employment grade

among Civil Servants, Whitehall II.

Source:Brunner E, Davey Smith G, Marmot M, et al. Lancet 1996; 347: 1008-1013

Deviations in plasma fibringen from means for men and women with 95% CI.

Means adjusted for age and ethnic origin (and menopausal status in women)


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Source: Bowles S, Park Y. Economic Journal 2005; 115 (507): F397F412. 2005.

Working hours are longer in more unequal countries


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More equal countries are more generous foreign aid donors

In more equal countries business leaders give a higher priority


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In more equal countries business leaders give a higher priority

to complying with international environmental agreements

With permission from R De Vogli & D Gimeno

Index of Health and Social Problems in relation


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Australia

Austria

Belgium

Canada

Denmark

Finland

FranceGermany

Greece

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Netherlands

New Zealand

Norway

Portugal

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

UK

USA

Better

Worse

Indexofhealthandsocialproblems

Low High

Inequality (Gini coefficients from OECD, mid-2000s)

Index of Health and Social Problems in relation

to Inequality - using Gini coefficients from OECD


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Di t ib ti f h h ld i (US 1990) d


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Distribution of household income (US 1990) and

Relative risk of dying at each level of income

Wolfson M, Kaplan G, Lynch J, Ross N, Backlund E. BMJ; 1999. 319:953-955

National infant mortality rates and GNPpc


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National infant mortality rates and GNPpc

at three levels of inequality

Source: Hales S, Howden-Chapman P, Salmond C, Woodward A,

Mackenbach J. . Lancet 1999; 354: 2047

Income inequality and mortality in 282 metropolitan areas


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Income inequality and mortality in 282 metropolitan areas

of the United States925.8

879.2

840.2

812.4

944.9

897.5

857.6

829.2

923.7

877.3

838.4

810.6

895.5

850.5

812.8

785.9

750

800

850

900

950

4th

(high)

3rd 2nd 1st

(low)

4th (high)3rd

2nd

1st (low)

Per capita

income

(quartiles)

Income inequality (quartiles)

Mortalit

yrate

per100

, 000

Quartiles of income inequality and per capita income, adjusted for median household size, and age-

adjusted total mortality (per 100,000): 282 US metropolitan areas, 1989 - 1991.

Source: Lynch J, Kaplan G, et al., Am J Public Health, 1998;88:1074-1080

Quartiles of income inequality and per capita income, adjusted for median household size, and age-

adjusted total mortality (per 100,000): 282 US metropolitan areas, 1989 - 1991.

Source: Lynch J, Kaplan G, et al., Am J Public Health, 1998;88:1074-1080


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Life expectancy and income per capita for

selected countries and periods

Reproduced from World Bank, World Development Report 1993


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80% have air conditioning78% have a VCR or DVD player73% own a car or truck31% own more than one car

55% have two or more TVs36% have a dishwasher36% have a computer43% own their homes

10% in mobile homes 6% over-crowded (>1 per room)

Childrens protein intake: 100% above recommended Most vitamins & minerals: well over recommended

Living conditions & Poverty: USA 2005

The poorest 12.6% (below Federal poverty line):-

Income share of richest 1% in Anglo Saxon countries 1921 2002


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Source: Atkinson AB, Leigh A. (2004) Understanding the Distribution of

Top Incomes in Anglo-Saxon Countries over the Twentieth Century

Income share of richest 1% in Anglo-Saxon countries 1921-2002


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Trends in UK income inequality 1979-2005/6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

-4

1994

-5

1995

-6

1996

-7

1997

-8

1998

-9

1999

-0

2000

-1

2001

-2

2002

-3

2003

-4

2004

-5

2005

-6

Thatcher Major Blair

Risinggapbetween

richandpoor,relativ

eto1975



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Trends in US income inequality 1975-2005


Health and social problems which


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Health and social problems which

are substantially worse in more unequal societies

International data:

Social Mobility

Hours worked Child conflict

UNICEF Child well-being Index

US states data:

High school drop-out rate

Data available for countries and for states of the USA:-

Social capital Drug abuse

Trust Homicides

Maths & literacy scores Obesity

Teenage birth rates Life expectancy

Imprisonment rates Infant mortality

Mental illness Low birth weight

[Smoking and suicide are the only counter examples we have found]


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C l ti & l I d f H lth & S i l P bl


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Indicator International data US data

r p-value r p-value

Trust -0.66


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Indicator International data US data

r p-value r p-value

Drugs index 0.63


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Component International data US state data

Trust Percent of people who respond positively to the statement mostpeople can be trusted1999-2001World Values Survey Reverse-coded

Percent of people who respond positively to the statement most peoplecan be trusted1999General Social Survey Reverse-coded

Life expectancy Life expectancy at birth for men and women

2004United Nations Human Development Report Reverse-coded

Life expectancy at birth for men and women

2000US Census Bureau, Population Division Reverse-coded

Infant mortality Deaths in the first year of life per 1000 live births2000World Bank

Deaths in the first year of life per 1000 live births2002US National Center for Health Statistics

Obesity Percentage of the population with BMI > 30, averaged for men andwomen2002International Obesity TaskForce

Percentage of the population with BMI > 30, averaged for men andwomen, 1999-2002Estimates from Prof Ezzati, Harvard University, based on NHANES andBRFSS surveys

Mental health Prevalence of mental illness2001-2003WHO

Average number of days in past month when mental health was notgood1993-2001, BRFSS

Education Combined average of maths literacy and reading literacy scores of15-year olds2000OECD PISA Reverse-coded

Combined average of maths and reading scores for 8 th graders2003US Department of Education, National Center for EducationStatistics Reverse coded

Teenage birth rate Births per 1000 women aged 15-19 years1998

UNICEF

Births per 1000 women aged 15-19 years2000

US National Vital Statistics

Homicides Homicide rate per 100,000Period average for 1990-2000United Nations

Homicide rate per 100,0001999FBI

Imprisonment Log of prisoners per 100,000United Nations

Prisoners per 100,0001997-8, US Department of Justice

Social mobility Correlation between father and sons income30-year period data from 8 cohort studies

London School of Economics

N/A

Five fallacies which support


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Five fallacies which support

injustice and inequality

Elitism is efficient

Prejudice is natural

Exclusion is necessary

Greed is good

Despair is inevitable

D. Dorling, Injustice: why social inequality persists

(Policy Press 2010)

Educational Scores are Higher in More Equal Rich


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Educational Scores are Higher in More Equal Rich

Countries


R li d I lit


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Recycling and Inequality


Index of Health and Social Problems and inequality among


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q y g

US states


Index of Health & Social Problems and average income


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Index of Health & Social Problems and average income

in US states


If all countries converged on the world average CO2

emissions high life expectancy could be achieved for all


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Wo

rlda

verageCO

2

emissions, high life expectancy could be achieved for all

- even on the basis of existing technology

Documents

Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson Presentation to the RSA. July 2010