Capital and Cohesion: A new perspective on the analysis of mortality differentials

Social characteristics related to mortality, such as hierarchy or family structure, are generally represented as a unidimensional scale. This is inconsistent with much of sociological theory, which represents hierarchy as a multidimensional, or partially ordered, scale. We utilize Bourdieu's tripartite concept of Capital – Economic, Cultural and Social – to conceptualize social hierarchy and construct appropriate scales. We combine these with measures of Household Structure to investigate their relation to male and female aggregate mortality. Using data for Australian small statistical areas (SA2) from the census of 2011, we regressed male and female standardized mortality (SMR) on the scales for Capital and Household Structure, with controls for State/Territory, Remoteness, and Indigeneity of the SA2. We find that Economic and Cultural Capital significantly reduce mortality, while Social Capital has a smaller effect, significant only for males; Family Structure is at least as important as Capital in explaining levels of mortality; Geographic location, namely State/Territory and degree of Remoteness, are significant determinants of mortality risk and Indigenous areas are at a heavy disadvantage, even when we account for all other social and situational characteristics. We conclude that social space, as measured by scales of social hierarchy and family structure, is multidimensional. To understand fully why mortality is higher in some areas than in others, we need to bring together theory and data.