The Intergenerational Transmission of Generalised Trust and a Willingness to Take Risks

Abstract

The article examines the intergenerational transmission of generalised trust and willingness to take risks among Czechs. Data from the Czech Household Panel Survey are used to compare levels of generalised trust and willingness to take risks among parents and their offspring between the ages of 15 and 26. The analyses confirm a similarity of attitudes between parents and children, but indicate differences according to the parent's sex. While a statistically significant similarity is observed between mothers and their children, fathers form a more heterogeneous group. The analyses also find a higher level of trust among children from Catholic families, but no connection is observed between generalised trust and a parent's level of education, sex, or the child's age. Conversely, the level of willingness to take risks is much greater among boys and older children but shows no link to what religion parents belong to.