Table 1.
Model Variables, Coding, and Characteristics at First Interview (Means and T-Tests), by Race/Ethnicity (Weighted Estimates)
| Variables | Description and Coding | Whites | Blacks | Hispanics | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline Labor Force Status | |||||
| In the labor forcea | 1 = in the labor force (ref) | 0.64 | 0.62 | 0.62 | 0.64 |
| Retiredabc | 1 = retired | 0.30 | 0.24 | 0.26 | 0.29 |
| Work-Disabledab | 1 = work-disabled; see text for details | 0.05 | 0.13 | 0.12 | 0.07 |
| Ageab | Age in years past 50 | 7.99 | 8.13 | 7.03 | 7.95 |
| Education | |||||
| Less than high schoolabc | 1 = less than high school | 0.17 | 0.37 | 0.57 | 0.21 |
| High schoolabc | 1 = high school or equivalent (ref) | 0.42 | 0.32 | 0.19 | 0.40 |
| Some collegeabc | 1 = at least some college | 0.41 | 0.31 | 0.23 | 0.39 |
| Labor Force Attachment | |||||
| Self-employedac | 1 = self-employed | 0.10 | 0.05 | 0.08 | 0.09 |
| Part-time | 1 = working less than 35 hr/ week | 0.19 | 0.16 | 0.18 | 0.19 |
| Unemployed | 1 = unemployed and looking for work | 0.04 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.02 |
| Prior exit | 1 = previously observed to exit the labor force | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.04 |
| Job Tenure and Stabilityabc | Number of years worked divided by the number of jobs worked (up to 3); higher scores indicate greater stability | 18.56 | 20.51 | 16.77 | 18.67 |
| Longest Occupation | |||||
| Professional/managerialabc | 1 = professional/managerial (ref) | 0.29 | 0.21 | 0.12 | 0.28 |
| Salesa | 1 = sales | 0.11 | 0.05 | 0.07 | 0.10 |
| Clericala | 1 = clerical | 0.28 | 0.14 | 0.17 | 0.26 |
| Serviceabc | 1 = service | 0.13 | 0.37 | 0.29 | 0.17 |
| Laborabc | 1 = laborer | 0.11 | 0.17 | 0.28 | 0.13 |
| Missinga | 1 = information on longest job is missing | 0.08 | 0.06 | 0.07 | 0.07 |
| Job Benefits | |||||
| Employer pension | |||||
| Enrolledabc | 1 = enrolled in employer pension plan | 0.39 | 0.41 | 0.29 | 0.39 |
| Eligible to receiveabc | 1 = eligible to receive or receiving pension | 0.16 | 0.18 | 0.11 | 0.16 |
| Health insurance | |||||
| Uninsuredabc | 1 = no health insurance identified (ref) | 0.28 | 0.29 | 0.46 | 0.29 |
| Government | 1 = government provided insurance | 0.23 | 0.31 | 0.21 | 0.23 |
| Privateab | 1 = individual private pay insurance | 0.08 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.07 |
| Employerac | 1 = past or current employer provided insurance | 0.25 | 0.30 | 0.19 | 0.25 |
| Employer Retireeabc | 1 = past or current employer provided insurance that continues in retirement | 0.15 | 0.19 | 0.09 | 0.15 |
| Otherab | 1 = some other source of insurance, including from a spouse | 0.25 | 0.13 | 0.12 | 0.23 |
| Job Structure | |||||
| Large Firmac | 1 = work for a firm with 500 or more employees | 0.07 | 0.11 | 0.06 | 0.08 |
| Firm Size Missingab | 1 = firm size missing | 0.05 | 0.07 | 0.09 | 0.05 |
| Early Retirement Incentivecc | 1 = offered a financial incentive to retire early | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| Financial Resources | |||||
| Household income (Ln)abc | Total of household income from all sources, adjusted for couple status (in constant dollars) | 3.16 | 2.72 | 2.62 | 3.09 |
| Non-housing wealth (Ln)ab | Net value of non-housing assets, adjusted for couple status (in constant dollars) | 3.96 | 3.54 | 3.60 | 3.89 |
| Retirement savings value (Ln)ab | Individual retirement account or similar retirement savings plan value , adjusted for couple status (in constant dollars) | 1.51 | 0.35 | 0.45 | 1.33 |
| Health | |||||
| Self-rated healthabc | 0 = excellent, 1 = very good, 2 = good, 3 = fair, 4 = poor | 1.42 | 2.07 | 2.12 | 1.53 |
| Number of chronic conditionsac | Count of doctor diagnosis with hypertension, heart disease, stroke, non-skin cancer, diabetes or chronic lung disease (0-6). | 0.85 | 1.18 | 0.81 | 0.89 |
| Number of functional limitationsab | Sum of reported difficulty walking one block, climbing a flight of stairs, lifting 10 pounds, pushing or pulling a large item, and picking up a dime from a table, divided by the number of valid responses higher scores indicate greater limitations (0-5) | 1.00 | 1.43 | 1.23 | 1.05 |
| Family Characteristics | |||||
| Marital status | |||||
| Marriedabc | 1 = married (ref) | 0.70 | 0.40 | 0.61 | 0.66 |
| Divorcedabc | 1 = divorced or separated | 0.15 | 0.31 | 0.23 | 0.17 |
| Widowedac | 1 = widowed | 0.12 | 0.21 | 0.12 | 0.13 |
| Never marriedabc | 1 = never married | 0.03 | 0.08 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| Husband's work status | |||||
| Unmarried or Husband Retired | 1 = unmarried or married respondent's spouse retired (ref) | — | — | — | — |
| Disableda | 1 = respondent's spouse is disabled | 0.05 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.05 |
| Worksac | 1 = respondent's spouse is in the labor force | 0.49 | 0.24 | 0.43 | 0.46 |
| No. of Children ≤ 25abc | Number of children under 25 in household (0-2 or more) | 0.21 | 0.24 | 0.43 | 0.23 |
| N of respondents (unweighted) | 5,504 | 1,231 | 500 | 7, 235 |
Notes: Means for binary variables can be interpreted as the proportion of the sample coded 1 on that indicator. Welch-Satterthwaite T-Tests computed for difference in means with unequal variances.
a
Means for Whites and Blacks are significantly different, p < .05 (two-tailed test).
b
Means for Whites and Hispanics are significantly different, p < .05 (two-tailed test).
c
Means for Blacks and Hispanics are significantly different, p < .05 (two-tailed test).