收入不平等与城乡居民的身心健康——基于CFPS追踪数据的分析

Income Inequality and Population Health in Urban and Rural China:Evidence from Five Waves of CFPS

收入不平等与居民健康是多学科共同关注的重要议题。本文检验了中国情境下收入不平等程度与居民身心健康的关系,并重点考察了该效应的持续时间和空间尺度。本文基于CFPS2010—2018五轮追踪调查数据实证发现:首先,家庭收入不平等(基尼系数)显著且持续冲击居民的躯体健康和精神健康;其次,收入不平等对躯体健康的影响存在延迟特征,而对精神健康的侵蚀呈现出即时性和持续性特征;再次,与区县层相比,省市层收入不平等程度与居民身心健康的关联微弱,多数情况下未通过统计检验,这种差异表明,需更多地关注小空间尺度上的不平等及其影响;最后,从城乡差异来看,收入不平等对身心健康的负面影响主要体现在以熟人社会为基础的农村地区。

The relationship between income inequality and population health has drawn much attention from many disciplines.This paper examined this relationship in the Chinese context and investigated its duration and space limits.Using data from five waves of CFPS,the main findings are as follows:First,family income inequality(Gini coefficient)affected physical and mental health significantly and continuously.Second,income inequality exerted a delayed effect on physical health but an instant and continuous effect on mental health.Third,the county-level Gini coefficient was negatively and significantly associated with health outcomes.In contrast,we find almost no evidence that the provincial or municipal Gini coefficient was predictive of health,suggesting that health researchers should pay more attention to income inequality at lower space levels.Finally,income inequality mainly impaired physical and mental health among people living in rural areas.