ABSTRACT
The objectives of this study are to describe, for European countries, variations among
political traditions in the magnitude of inequalities in self-perceived health by educational
level and to determine whether these variations change when contextual welfare state,
labor market, wealth, and income inequality variables are taken into account. In this
cross-sectional study, the authors look at the population aged 25 to 64 in 13 European
countries. Individual data were obtained from the Health Interview Surveys of each
country. Educational-level inequalities in self-perceived health exist in all countries and
in all political traditions, among both women and men. When countries are grouped
by political tradition, social democratic countries are found to have the lowest
educational-level inequalities.
