Does the Increase in Available Time Associated with Retirement Lead to Greater Investment in Health?

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of retirement on an individual’s allocation of time to time-intensive, health-enhancing activities. The empirical analysis employs data from three waves of Statistics Canada’s General Social Survey (GSS) on time use (1992, 1998, and 2005). To account for the potential endogeneity of retirement status, an instrumental variable approach is used. The results indicate that retirement leads to an increase in the amount of time allocated towards many health-enhancing activities for both women and men. In addition, the results suggest that women invest significantly more time into time-intensive health-enhancing activities compared to men.