Higher Education and Recognition as an Individual Value: Theoretical Challenges and Empirical Manifestations

The aim of this article is twofold: 1) to outline some theoretical considerations based on Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition, which are helpful for understanding the relationship between higher education and recognition as an individual need and value, and 2) to demonstrate some empirical manifestations of this relationship linked to its interaction with key socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Using data from the 2018 European Social Survey for 29 European countries and applying multilevel linear modelling, the study finds evidence for a positive association between having a higher education degree and the value individuals attribute to receiving recognition. The results also reveal that age, gender, and employment status moderate this association. More specifically, the strength of this positive association decreases by age, whereas the value of receiving recognition is greater among women with а higher education qualification and those graduates who are in paid work.