Unemployment and suicide: Panel data analyses

Abstract

This study uses two panel data sets for both Taiwan and other Asian countries, and employs fixed-effects models to examine the relationship between the unemployment rate and the suicide death rate. The research results in both cases indicate that the suicide death rate moves counter-cyclically with the unemployment rate. At the same time, the death rate for males, those who are older, and those with higher levels of education are relatively high. However, the higher the income, the lower will be the suicide death rate.

Acknowledgment

Financial support from the Sapintia Culture and Education Foundation is gratefully acknowledged.