Background
Classical studies on political socialization show a strong intergenerational transmission of political values between parents and children: Parents transmit values to their offspring via both nature and nurture.
Younger age groups in Western countries are much more disconnected from formal politics than their parents. They also have distinct political leanings from their parents: on average they tend to be more liberal, adopt a more global perspective on politics, and place less emphasis on religion.
The family structures, social milieu, and individual lifestyles of younger generations also deviate significantly from those of their parents and may affect their political value formation. While e.g. Finnish millennial generation has mostly socialised into politics in traditional heteronormative two-parent nuclear families, their own family structures have become much more diverse.
Low fertility, voluntary childlessness, postponed parenthood, divorce, remarriage, post-divorce families, blended families, single parenthood, and joint custody, as well as the increasing number of non-heteronormative families have all contributed to rising postmodern family diversity, and single-person households are becoming increasingly common.
Furthermore, the rise in migration has increased the prevalence of intercultural families, which often span national borders. In these families, parent-child value transmission may be uniquely influenced by the fact that parents and children are socialized into politics in different cultural contexts.
Goal
DISCO challenges classical theories on political value transmission in families by developing and testing a theoretical model of postmodern intergenerational value transmission. This model takes into account recent changes in political cleavages, parenting styles, family structures, and the growing ethnic diversity within Finnish society.
Impact
The stability of democracies depends on the political socialisation of their future members. Gaining insights into intergenerational transmissions of political values is crucial for understanding the mechanisms of political change over time. This knowledge helps to predict how societies will evolve as younger generations age and eventually replace their elders.
Funding source
Kone Foundation
Finnish Cultural Foundation
Partners
University of Turku
University of Helsinki
Migration Institute of Finland