Table 1.
Descriptive Statistics of Respondents 50+ Years in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)a
| ELSA (n = 6,008) | HRS (n = 23,229) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mean age, years (SD) | 61.43 (9.37) | 63.2 (10.36) |
| Mean memory score at baseline (1–20) (SD) | 10.44 (3.55) | 10.11 (3.71) |
| Sex | ||
| Men | 44.51% | 43.62% |
| Women | 55.49% | 56.38% |
| Race/ethnicity | ||
| White | 98.15% | 78.32% |
| Non-white | 1.85% | 21.68% |
| Married or partnered | 76.05% | 69.62% |
| Childhood SEP | ||
| Parent employed, % | 92.78% | 79.62% |
| Parent had no financial difficulties, % | 97.14% | 88.21% |
| Father white-collar job, % | 35.97% | 54.41% |
| Overall SEP index, % in higher SEP group | 33.72% | 43.13% |
| Education ≥ 13 years, % | 39.58% | 42.30% |
| Median household incomeb, 2002 USD | $26,468 | $36,080 |
| Median household wealthb, 2002 USD | $31,475 | $106,700 |
| Mean number of waves tested (SD) | 5.64 (1.60) | 5.10 (2.90) |
| Known deceased at last contact | 8.70% | 33.30% |
| Ever required a proxy interview | 4.80% | 14.70% |
Notes: aEstimates are unweighted. Mean and SD are presented for continuous variables, except for household wealth and income, for which median is presented; percentages are presented for categorical variables.
bELSA income and wealth are converted from pounds to dollars.