Until the outbreak of World War I, emigration continued to increase, becoming a political means for containing the economic crisis and unemployment between the wars. Following the political unrest of 1934, several thousand political activists had to leave the country. After the 'Anschluss' the systematic expulsion of the Jewish population set in. This paper presents selected results from the analysis of socioeconomic differentials in the mortality of the adult Austrian population. It is for the first time that educational differences in mortality were proved for Austria.
Results suggest that mortality increases with decreasing educational attainment levels.
Differential mortality is highest in the age interval of 35 to 49 years, and, though on a lower level, there are differences among the elderly. Educational differentials are found both with respect to total mortality and specific causes of death. For men as well as women differences are most striking in the residuum group of 'All other natural causes of death'. Differences are smallest in the group of circulatory diseases in men and malignant neoplasm in women. Differences in mortality are also found between occupational groups, according to family status or motherhood in the case of women.