Educational Differentials in Disability and Welfare Regimes: Are Low-Educated Scandinavians Relatively Less Disadvantaged than Other Europeans?

Emmanuelle Cambois, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Jean-Marie Robine, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) and Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)

Closing social gaps in health and disability is a priority in public health, meanwhile policies implemented to achieve this goal are pluralistic, even within similar welfare regimes, impacting differently the various SES groups. This study explores the country specific association between education and disability by assessing the variation in the relative advantages/disadvantages of the educational groups. Based on a European dataset and a selection of 26 countries (EU-SILC 2009), logistic models allowed quantifying the average education-disability association and country-specific interactions. Disability is measured by "activity limitation due to health" (AL) and education is brokendown in three groups. We found a substantial variation across countries in the AL advantage of the high-educated and disadvantage of the low-educated groups, with changing patterns across ages and within welfare regimes. Evidences of country specificities in the association between education and disability are useful in understanding country policy implications.