Stratification in Post-Secondary Education and Self-Rated Health among Canadian Adults

Anna Zajacova and Anthony Jehn

Canadian Public Policy, 2021, vol. 47, issue 1, 72-87

Abstract: Two-thirds of Canadian adults have post-secondary credentials, ranging from trade certificates to bachelor’s and advanced degrees. Yet, little is known about health across these levels, partly because the extensive literature on the education–health gradient has often grouped all post-secondary credentials into one or two broad categories. This is an important gap because it obscures social stratification at the post-secondary level. We provide the first comprehensive study of health across educational attainment levels in Canada, focusing on detailed post-secondary credentials. Data from the 2014–2016 Canadian General Social Survey for adults aged 25 years and older are used to assess self-rated health as a function of educational credentials for the total population and major population groups in relative and absolute terms, and to examine potential mechanisms that could explain the observed patterns. Analyses reveal substantively large, statistically significant differences in health across post-secondary credential levels: the predicted probability of reporting very good or excellent health is 49 percent among adults with trade certificates but 66 percent among those with advanced degrees. Such differences are evident in most although not all population groups. Taking into account social, economic, health–behavioural, and other covariates attenuates the post-secondary credential–health gradient by about 60 percent. Our findings highlight the importance of stratification in post-secondary credentials and the resulting health disparities. Understanding the reasons and implications of these disparities is important for educational, health, and social justice policies.

Keywords: stratification; education; post-secondary; health; inequalities; Canada; adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/cpp.2020-092 (text/html)
access restricted to subscribers

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cpp:issued:v:47:y:2021:i:1:p:72-87

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.utpjournals.com/loi/cpp/

Access Statistics for this article

Canadian Public Policy is currently edited by Prof. Mike Veall

More articles in Canadian Public Policy from University of Toronto Press University of Toronto Press Journals Division 5201 Dufferin Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3H 5T8.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Iver Chong ( this e-mail address is bad, please contact ).