Socioeconomic factors associated with suicide in Australia: A focus on individual level income and unemployment
Both demographic/sociological and economic variables are important predictors of suicide. Income uncertainty is also important, as is employment status.
The research to be discussed today pinpoints the group with the highest suicide rate in Australia, as defined by sex, age range, education status, ethnic background and family status.
Findings are drawn from a relatively new source of data, that links deaths from suicide at the individual level to socioeconomic data from the Australian Census of Population and Housing, social security administrative datasets, and tax/personal income data.
Importantly, this dataset is population-level, meaning it is possible to robustly analyse what is still a relatively rare event.
Speaker
Professor Nicholas Biddle, Associate Director of the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods
Prof Biddle is also head of the centre’s methods and survey program, and lead researcher for the Policy Experiments Lab.
He has a Bachelor of Economics (Hons.) from the University of Sydney and a Master of Education from Monash University. He also has a PhD in Public Policy from the ANU where he wrote his thesis on the benefits of and participation in education of Indigenous Australians.
He previously held a Senior Research Officer and Assistant Director position in the Methodology Division of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. He is currently a Fellow of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute.
CHE weekly seminar series
As part of the Centre for Health Economics’ vibrant research culture, we host a weekly seminar series. Visiting and invited researchers present current research relating to the economics of health and wellbeing, and the healthcare sector. Visitors are welcome to join these sessions where discussion and debate is encouraged. We aim to present all seminars in-person and also on Zoom.
Event Details
- Date:
- 31 August 2022 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
- Venue:
- In-person at Caulfield campus, Building H, Level 9, Room H921 and Zoom
- Categories:
- Health Economics; CHE Seminar; General
Description
Both demographic/sociological and economic variables are important predictors of suicide. Income uncertainty is also important, as is employment status.
The research to be discussed today pinpoints the group with the highest suicide rate in Australia, as defined by sex, age range, education status, ethnic background and family status.
Findings are drawn from a relatively new source of data, that links deaths from suicide at the individual level to socioeconomic data from the Australian Census of Population and Housing, social security administrative datasets, and tax/personal income data.
Importantly, this dataset is population-level, meaning it is possible to robustly analyse what is still a relatively rare event.
Speaker
Professor Nicholas Biddle, Associate Director of the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods
Prof Biddle is also head of the centre’s methods and survey program, and lead researcher for the Policy Experiments Lab.
He has a Bachelor of Economics (Hons.) from the University of Sydney and a Master of Education from Monash University. He also has a PhD in Public Policy from the ANU where he wrote his thesis on the benefits of and participation in education of Indigenous Australians.
He previously held a Senior Research Officer and Assistant Director position in the Methodology Division of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. He is currently a Fellow of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute.
CHE weekly seminar series
As part of the Centre for Health Economics’ vibrant research culture, we host a weekly seminar series. Visiting and invited researchers present current research relating to the economics of health and wellbeing, and the healthcare sector. Visitors are welcome to join these sessions where discussion and debate is encouraged. We aim to present all seminars in-person and also on Zoom.