The potential impact of co-residence structures on socio-demographic inequalities in COVID-19 mortality
During the COVID-19 pandemic, confinement measures were adopted across the world to limitthe spread of the virus. In France, these measures were applied between March 17 and May 10. Usinghigh-quality population census data and focusing on co-residence structures on French territory, thisarticle analyses how co-residence patterns unevenly put different socio-demographic groups at risk ofbeing infected and dying from COVID-19. The research ambition is to quantify the possible impactof co-residence structures heterogeneity on socioeconomic inequalities in mortality stemming fromwithin-household transmission of the virus. Using a simulation approach, the article highlights theexistence of theoretical pronounced inequalities of vulnerability to COVID-19 related to cohabitationstructures as well as a reversal of the social gradient of vulnerability when the age of the infectedperson increases. Among young age categories, infection is simulated to lead to more deaths in theless educated or foreign-born populations. Among the older ones, the inverse holds with infectionshaving a greater potential to provoke deaths through the transmission of the virus within householdsheaded by a highly educated or a native-born person. Demographic patterns such as the cohabitationof multiple generations and the survival of both partners of a couple help to explain these results.Even though inter-generational co-residence and large households are more common among the lowereducated and foreign born in general, the higher educated are more likely to still live with theirpartner at higher ages.