本文的研究目的，是以台灣老人為研究對象，來檢驗絕對所得假說(the absolute income hypothesis)、所得不均度假說(the income inequality hypothesis)與相對所得假說(the relative income hypothesis)此三個假說。絕對所得假說是假定個人所得會對個人健康產生正向的影響；所得不均度假說是假定所得分配的惡化會危害個人的健康；相對所得假說是假定個人所得相對於區域平均所得愈低，則會對個人的健康產生負面的影響。本文的資料來源，主要來自1989年與1996年行政院衛生署國民健康局「台灣地區中老年身心社會生活狀況長期追蹤調查」。本文採用老人的自評健康狀況與老人於資料調查期間的存活月數，作為衡量老人個人健康的指標，使用ordered probit模型與Cox比例風險模型(Cox proportional hazards model)，來檢驗絕對所得假說、所得不均度假說與相對所得假說。 在檢驗絕對所得假說的實證結果當中，多數顯示老人的個人所得會對老人的自評健康狀況產生正向的影響，但是不會影響老人的死亡風險。在檢驗所得不均度假說的實證結果當中，多數是不支持所得不均度假說，顯示所得不均度不會影響老人的個人健康。在檢驗相對所得假說的實證結果當中，多數的區域平均所得變數的係數是顯著的，然而區域平均所得對老人個人健康的影響方向，與相對所得假說的預期符號相反，依據本文的實證結果，多數顯示區域平均所得會對老人的個人健康產生正向的影響。 The purpose of this study is to examine the absolute income hypothesis, the income inequality hypothesis, and the relative income hypothesis. The absolute income hypothesis proposes that individual income has a positive effect on individual health status. The income inequality hypothesis proposes that income inequality harms individual health status. The relative income hypothesis proposes that a low relative income has a detrimental effect on individual health status. We use the 1989 and 1996 Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan. We use elderly's self-reported health status and survival time during the survey period as the measures of elderly's health status. We apply the ordered probit model and Cox proportional hazards model to test the absolute income hypothesis, the income inequality hypothesis, and the relative income hypothesis. According to our empirical results, individual income has a positive effect on elderly's self-reported health status, but it has no effect on elderly's mortality risk. There is few supports for the income inequality hypothesis and it reveals that income inequality does not affect elderly's health status. Contrary to the prediction of the relative income hypothesis, our results show that the regional mean income has a positive effect on elderly's health status.
