Payday can be a killer, new study shows | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Liquid error: internal Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Payday can be a killer, new study shows Payday can be a killer, new study shows Published: June 23, 2011 Author: Liquid error: internal People are more likely to die on or shortly after the day they’re paid, according to a new study by University of Notre Dame economist "William Evans":http://newsinfo.nd.edu/for-the-media/nd-experts/faculty/william-evans/. Traffic fatalities, heart attacks and increased substance abuse are among the most common causes of the short-term – but significant – increase in mortality following payday. The three-year study examined millions of death records in the U.S. in four demographic groups: seniors on Social Security, military personnel, families receiving tax rebate checks in 2001, and recipients of Alaska’s Permanent Fund dividends. According to the study, which will appear in an upcoming issue of the "Journal of Public Economics":http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/505578/description, mortality increased the week after checks arrived for each of these groups. “The key for us was to know when exactly people were paid, which we could do for these populations,” Evans says. So what makes payday so hazardous? “There is increased economic activity after payday,” Evans says. “Some of the activity, like driving and trips to bars, will naturally increase risk. Many types of activities are also known to trigger heart attacks.” “What surprised us was how broad-based the phenomenon was,” says Evans. “We found increased mortality after payday for the young and old, low and higher income groups, for married and single individuals. The increase in short-run mortality also occurs for a large number of causes of death. The effect was particularly pronounced for car accidents, heart attacks and especially substance abuse,” according to Evans. _*Contact*: William Evans, 571-274-9513, "wevans1@nd.edu":mailto:wevans1@nd.edu_ Posted In: Research Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related October 05, 2022 Astrophysicists find evidence for the presence of the first stars October 04, 2022 NIH awards $4 million grant to psychologists researching suicide prevention September 29, 2022 Notre Dame, Ukrainian Catholic University launch three new research grants September 27, 2022 Notre Dame, Trinity College Dublin engineers join to advance novel treatment for cystic fibrosis September 22, 2022 Climate-prepared countries are losing ground, latest ND-GAIN index shows For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn