Socio-Economic Differences in Life Expectancy. Data Sources in Germany and the Potential of the German Socio-Economic Panel Study

Abstract

This paper describes the potential for analysing socio-economic inequalities in life expectancy with the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP). It includes a short review of available data sources and recent evidence on inequalities in life expectancy for Germany. Subsequently the characteristics and issues with analysing mortality with the SOEP are discussed. The main problem for providing undistorted estimates of life expectancy across social strata with SOEP data is an overestimation of life expectancy in the study population. We will present a method that allows overcoming this problem with the utilization of official life tables for Germany.