Genetic effects on educational attainment in Hungary

Abstract

Introduction:Educational attainment is a substantially heritable trait, and it has recently been linked to specific genetic variants by genome-wide association studies (GWASs). However, the effects of such genetic variants are expected to vary across environments, including countries and historical eras. Methods:We used polygenic scores (PGSs) to assess molecular genetic effects on educational attainment in Hungary, a country in the Central Eastern European region where behavioral genetic studies are in general scarce and molecular genetic studies of educational attainment have not been previously published. Results:We found that the PGS is significantly associated with the attainment of a college degree as well as the number of years in education in a sample of Hungarian study participants (N = 829). PGS effect sizes were not significantly different when compared to an English (N = 976) comparison sample with identical measurement protocols. In line with previous Estonian findings, we found higher PGS effect sizes in Hungarian, but not in English participants who attended higher education after the fall of Communism, although we lacked statistical power for this effect to reach significance.

Differences in polygenic associations with educational attainment between West and East Germany before and after reunification

“…We found that after German reunification the magnitude of the association between education-genetics and educational attainment increased in East Germans, who experienced a monumental shift from a state-socialist to a free-market West German system. This aligns with previous reports that the association between education-genetics and educational attainment increased in Estonia and Hungary after the fall of the Soviet Union in Europe (Rimfeld et al, 2018; Ujma et al, 2022). Notably, our time-concurrent regional contrast between East and West Germany substantially reduces the likelihood of cohort-related confounds that could affect genetic associations.…”

“…With the fall of European state-socialism in 1989/1990, East Germany’s educational ideology of non-meritocratic access restriction was rapidly replaced by West German meritocratic ideology geared towards free-market productivity (Littler, 2017; Rohde, 2023; Solga, 2005). Previous studies have found that the association between education-genetics and educational attainment in Estonia and Hungary increased after the fall of the Soviet Union in Europe (Rimfeld et al, 2018; Ujma et al, 2022). Here we examine geographical and historical differences in polygenic associations with educational attainment in East and sWest Germany before and after reunification .…”