Decomposing the Parental Education Gradient in Health: Lessons from a Large Sample of Adoptees

Evelina Björkegren, Mikael Lindahl, Mårten Palme and Emilia Simeonova

Journal of Labor Economics, 2026, vol. 44, issue 2, 383 - 412

Abstract: We use data from a sample of adoptees born in Sweden to study to what extent the association between parental educational attainments and adult health of the child can be attributed to pre- or postbirth factors. We find significant and similarly sized associations between the educational attainment of both adoptive and biological parents and children’s adult health outcomes. This suggests that growing up in a more educated household has long-term effects on health. However, the magnitude of these associations is roughly 50% smaller than the corresponding estimates obtained from children raised by their biological parents.

Date: 2026
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