Self‐rated Health Status of J apanese and E uropeans in Later Life: Evidence from JSTAR and SHARE

Using panel data from two surveys in J apan and E urope, we examine the comparability of the self‐rated health of the middle‐aged and elderly across J apan and E uropean countries and across the survey periods. We find that a person's own health is evaluated using different standards (thresholds) across the different countries and survey waves. When evaluated using common thresholds, the J apanese elderly are found to be healthier than their counterparts in the E uropean countries. Reporting biases causing discrepancies between the changes in individuals' self‐rated health and their actual health over the survey waves are associated with education and country of residence.