Mortality differentials by religion in the U.S.

Allison R. Sullivan, University of Pennsylvania

This paper examines the relationship between adult mortality and religious affiliation in the contemporary U.S. using data from the Health and Retirement Study. Jews and Mainline Protestants have longer life expectancies than other religions, even when controlling for background characteristics such as gender and race. I test whether these mortality differences can be attributed to differences in socioeconomic status, health behaviors, or psychosocial support. The first two reduce but do not eliminate mortality differences. The effect of psychosocial support, measured separately by marital status and religious attendance, varies dramatically by religion. These results show that studies examining the effect of “religiosity” on health and mortality need to consider differences by religious affiliation.