Intergenerational Transmission of Preferences for Redistribution: The Case of Uruguay

We explore whether preferences for redistributive policies are transmitted from parents to children and study the empirical relevance of three modulators: family mobility, parents’ personality traits, and children’s abilities. We draw on a novel and rich dataset, the Longitudinal Study of Well-being in Uruguay. We use a flexible model to explain the intergenerational persistence. We find that, on average, the intergenerational persistence of preferences for redistribution is relatively high. However, there is heterogeneity associated with parents’ learning. Finally, the intergenerational transmission of preferences is more relevant when intergenerational mobility is lower, parents have greater self-control, and children present higher abilities.