How Intergenerational Mobility Shapes Attitudes toward Work and Welfare

• DOI: 10.1177/0002716218822457
• Published date: 01 March 2019
• Date: 01 March 2019
• Subject Matter: How are Work Values Formed?

ANNALS, AAPSS, 682, March 2019 139

DOI: 10.1177/0002716218822457

How Intergene-

rational

Mobility Shapes

Attitudes

toward Work

and Welfare

By

BETTINA SCHUCK

and

JENNIFER SHORE

822457ANN The Annals of The American AcademyHow Intergenerational Mobility Shapes Attitudes toward Work and Welfare

research-article2018

Past experiences and expectations about the future

shape how people think about work and welfare. Given

the uncertainty many young people face when entering

the labor market, we investigate whether 1) young peo-

ples’ experiences of social mobility and 2) their future

mobility expectations impact their attitudes regarding

the meaning of work and welfare. Drawing on the con-

cepts of self-interest and deservingness, we examine

how both the experiences and expectations of intergen-

erational social mobility influence the ways in which

young adults view the so-called moral dimension of

work and welfare. Results of logistic regression analyses

of around 11,000 young adults in eleven countries sug-

gest that the relationship between mobility and indi-

viduals’ views on work and welfare varies depending on

the dimension of mobility (economic and social origins,

for example), with expected future mobility exerting a

stronger effect on attitudes than past mobility experi-

ences. We find that self-interest, not empathy with

one’s social origins, appears to be the primary driver of

these attitudes.

Keywords: social mobility; welfare attitudes; mobility

effects; self-interest; deservingness

Work and welfare attitudes have many

antecedents, including the crucial role

that one’s economic position and social origin

plays in shaping opinions and preferences. The

experiences people have throughout their life-

times, and particularly in their younger years,

shape how they view the meaning of work.

Today we face a situation in which intergenera-

tional upward mobility (i.e., achieving a higher

socioeconomic status than one’s parents) is no

longer a given for many young people: eco-

nomic circumstances remain challenging after

the economic crisis, and an increase in univer-

sity graduates has led to fierce competition on

Bettina Schuck is a postdoctoral researcher at the

Institute of Political Science at Heidelberg University,

Germany. Her research focuses on social inequality and

stratification in a country-comparative perspective.

Correspondence: bettina.schuck@ipw.uni-heidelberg.de

140 THE ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY

the job market (Eurofound 2017). In light of this situation, characterized by both

real and threatened downward mobility, we are interested in how the experiences

and expectations of social mobility, both upward and downward, impact young

people’s attitudes toward work and welfare.

Our work here addresses the following research questions: 1) How does inter-

generational social mobility (upward/downward) impact young people’s attitudes

regarding the meaning of work? 2) Do future mobility expectations matter for

young people’s normative attitudes regarding work and welfare? By adopting a

differentiated approach to the study of social mobility and its consequences, we

offer new insights into the formation of work and welfare attitudes. While there

are broad literatures covering both how social position as well as the prospects of

moving up or down the socioeconomic ladder impact redistributive preferences,

we know much less about how social mobility can shape the so-called moral

aspects of welfare states. These moral or normative dimensions go beyond pure

redistributive preferences and rather tap into beliefs about deservingness (Mau

2003) and the normative conceptions of work. A multidimensional conceptualiza-

tion of welfare state support enables us to consider sources of support beyond

material self-interest, such as normative concerns and preferences (Roosma,

Gelissen, and van Oorschot 2013; Sihvo and Uusitalo 1995; van Oorschot 2010).

Such a conceptualization furthermore allows for the possibility that individuals

may hold a differentiated set of views. By focusing on the so-called moral dimen-

sion of the work-welfare nexus, in particular the receipt of welfare benefits and

the influence on work values, we investigate the effects of intergenerational

mobility beyond preferences for redistribution. More specifically, we provide

empirical insights into how both the lived experiences and future expectations of

intergenerational mobility shape young adults’ attitudes about welfare and

employment. When citizens do not feel recipients of social support are deserving

of assistance, they will be unlikely to extend support for the maintenance or

expansion of such programs and policies. In other words, social solidarity, the

willingness to share social risks, and beliefs about whom should benefit from col-

lective resources can have far-reaching consequences for elections, social poli-

cies, and even democratic legitimacy (Rothstein 1998; van Oorschot 2013). Our

measures of intergenerational social mobility focus on financial status and mobil-

ity expectations in terms of standard of living. In comparison to conventional

measures like occupation or education, we consider these subjective measures to

have important advantages for studying young adults in contemporary Europe.

Given the economic situation at the time the survey was fielded, with youth

unemployment rates at nearly 50 percent in some European countries and many

still struggling in the aftermath of the economic crisis, focusing on these

Jennifer Shore is a postdoctoral fellow at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research

at the University of Mannheim, Germany. Her research interests include political behaviors

and attitudes, welfare states, comparative public policy, and survey research.

Note: This study is an outcome of the EU-funded collaborative research project CUPESSE

(Cultural Pathways to Economic Self-Sufficiency and Entrepreneurship; Grant Agreement

No. 613257; www.cupesse.eu).