Declining financial and health literacy among older men and women

Abstract

Financial and health literacy decline at older ages, and such deterioration in later life is associated with adverse outcomes. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether the rate or likelihood of decline diverges over time across subgroups of the elderly. This study used longitudinal data to assess whether older men and women differ in the likelihood and rate at which their financial and health literacy deteriorates. After assessing their financial and health literacy using a 32-item measure at baseline, we surveyed 1,075 community-resident older adults without dementia at baseline, and followed them annually thereafter, for an average of six waves. We document that the average financial and health literacy score at baseline was 69.6% (out of 100%), falling by about one percentage point per year on average. Men score 3.6 percentage points higher than women at baseline, but their likelihood and rates of decline over time do not differ from women’s, controlling for age, income, education, and medical conditions. Similar patterns were observed for financial and health literacy separately. The financial and health literacy gender gap persists as people age, suggesting that efforts to improve financial and health literacy among both women and men prior to old age would help but would not close the gender differential in financial and health literacy.