Elder, Am I Right? Age-Group Differences in Social and Political Interactions in Africa

Abstract Age-group differences play an essential role in social interaction across sub-Saharan Africa. However, the social effects of these differences remain understudied. We hypothesize that age-group differences will affect response patterns and use Afrobarometer data to test this hypothesis. We also explore three mechanisms through which age-group differences may induce response-pattern variation: in-group loyalty, social acquiescence, and social distance. As hypothesized, we find relatively large and statistically significant effects for age-group differences across a variety of questions. Our findings support in-group loyalty and social acquiescence rather than social distance when questions do not address age-related issues directly. However, social distance may play a more important role when questions address age-specific issues. Additionally, we show preliminary evidence that age-group differences induce larger response-pattern variation than coethnicity. Our findings speak to the importance of age in social interaction in Africa and provide important lessons for the survey research community.