Social Capital and Having a Regular Family Doctor : Evidence from Longitudinal Data

Summary: Evidence shows that access to a regular family doctor increases the likelihood of regular care; but about 15% of the Canadian population does not have access to a regular family doctor. We are the first to examine if the presence of individual social capital (e.g., tangible support, friends and family) increases the likelihood of having a regular family doctor. Using the Canadian National Population Health longitudinal survey (1994 to 2010) and a dynamic random effects model (with and without endogenous initial conditions) we find robust evidence of a statistically significant and positive causal relationship between social capital and the probability of having a regular family doctor. Since past access to a family doctor is a strong predictor of both current and future access, we show that social capital is much more important in helping individuals find a family doctor than for keeping one.