Austerity policies linked to stagnant life expectancy

AUSTERITY policies have made an “important and substantial” contribution to the stagnation of life expectancy, researchers have said. Life expectancy throughout the 20th century grew year on year, but began to stagnate around 2012.

A new report by Glasgow University and the Glasgow Centre for Population Health has suggested government cuts in the wake of the 2008 financial crash contributed to the stagnation.

The researchers also suggested 40 recommendations to address the issue, including a commitment not to institute austerity policies in the future, increase benefits and clamp down on tax evasion and avoidance. “Austerity is evidenced as making an important and substantial causal contribution, and is likely to underpin a number of the other observed changes,” the report said.

“Austerity is highly likely to be the most substantial causal contributor to the stalled mortality trends seen in Scotland and across the UK (and more tentatively across other high-income countries),” it added.

The report’s lead author Gerry McCartney – a professor of wellbeing economy at Glasgow University – said the recommendations were prescient given the recovery from the pandemic.

“At a time when we are witnessing an escalating cost-of-living crisis and when decisions and policy choices are being made about pandemic recovery and rebuilding the economy, now is the time to listen to the evidence and implement these solutions that will support rather than damage population health,” he said.

“Any further austerity policies that squeeze public spending will have disastrous long-term impacts on population health and result in more and more lives cut short. “We cannot allow that.

“The report’s recommendations and policy responses would put us back on a trajectory of improving mortality trends that we were on pre-austerity and support the population and economy to recover and flourish equitably.”