Sir Michael Marmot will be most annoyed

An entire lifetime’s worth of theorising destroyed by the one ugly fact:

White people in Britain are dying at higher rates than ethnic minorities because of their drinking and smoking habits.

Analysis from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) of mortality rates by ethnicity across towns, cities and villages found that in almost all cases white Britons were dying in higher numbers, despite on average being more affluent.

Marmot’s insistence is, recall, that economic inequality leads to health inequality. Ineluctably, and that the health inequality we see is caused by economic inequality. Therefore we must raise taxation upon the rich considerably, send that cash to the poor and health will improve. This is also one of the core assertions in The Spirit Level. That it is the inequality itself which makes us iller.

The Telegraph has got the finding from the Office for National Statistics correct. It’s also not just because there are - still - more White Britons around, it’s relative rates. The cause, well, no one’s wholly sure, but a suggestion is that a large proportion of the non-Whites are first generation migrants and that explains their income levels. But also that those who bother to migrate might be generally healthier than the population left behind or arrived in. But it is still true that mortality and ill heath are not running in line with income.

Poorer people have lower mortality rates than richer. Marmot and the Spirit Delusion are wrong.

Ho Hum, well, better luck next time Sir Michael.

Tim Worstall