Superannuation and economic inequality among older Australians: evidence from HILDA
JournaleJournal of Tax Research
AuthorsHelen Hodgson, Alan Tapper
PublishedSeptember 2018
PublisherUNSW Business School, University of New South Wales
ISSN1448-2398
Number of Pages236-265
Edition16:1
This article seeks to identify the effect that the current superannuation system has on economic inequality in later life. The analysis uses income and wealth data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, collected between 2002 and 2014, to examine wealth inequality, which includes the balance of a superannuation accumulation account, and income inequality, which includes private pension income. The main findings are that inequality in superannuation holdings is considerably higher than wealth inequality among older Australians and that inequality increases with age, but overall the age pension and home ownership have had a moderating effect on income and wealth inequality over this period.
Related Projects
Age, income, wealth and inequality in Australia
It is generally understood that income and wealth are each related to age. Income generally peaks in mid-life and falls in later life. Wealth rises with age and levels off or falls in later life. The aim of this project... Read article
The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre team acknowledges the Wadjuk Nyungar people as the traditional owners of the land on which the Centre is situated.