Socioeconomic inequality in life expectancy: Perception and policy demand in the United States and Germany

Lasse J. Jessen, Sebastian Köhne, Patrick Nüß and Jens Ruhose

No 12/2026, IWH Discussion Papers from Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH)

Abstract: Using survey experiments in the United States and Germany with about 12,000 participants, we study perceptions of socioeconomic inequality in life expectancy and policy demand. Respondents overestimate the rich-poor gap in both countries, judging the life expectancy of the rich roughly accurately but placing that of the poor well below its true level. These misperceptions vary little with political orientation or other characteristics. Correcting them shifts concern but leaves policy demand largely unchanged across general, specific, and real-stakes measures. Instead, demand divides politically, sharply in the United States and much less in Germany, consistent with views about the role of government rather than the inequality itself shaping policy demand.

Keywords: health care; information treatment; socioeconomic inequality in life expectancy; survey experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 D83 H53 I14 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur, nep-exp and nep-hea
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:iwhdps:343096

DOI: 10.18717/dpv0bb-pe22

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