Education effects on authoritarian–libertarian values: a question of socialization¹

Abstract

Over the past decades an authoritarian-libertarian value dimension has become increasingly important to electoral behaviour across western countries. Previous analyses have shown that education is the most important social antecedent of individuals' positions on this value dimension; high education groups tend towards the libertarian pole and low education groups tend towards the authoritarian pole. It remains an open question, however, what aspects of education cause this relationship. The article examines a range of explanatory models: a psychodynamic, a cognitive, a socialization, and an allocation effects model. The results strongly favour the socialization model in which the relationship between education and authoritarian-libertarian values is explained as a result of differences in the value sets transferred to students in different educational milieus. The value differences between the educational groups should thus not be seen as reflecting economic differences between the groups but rather as the result of a more fundamental value conflict.

Education and liberalism: pursuing the link

“…In this model, liberal values are learned alongside the subject specific knowledge within different disciplines via textbooks and formal contacts with educators and via informal contacts with other students and educators. This socialisation model has recently found support in the work of Stubager (2008) in the Danish context, Van de Werfhorst and de Graaft (2004) in the Dutch context and Phelan et al (1995) in the US.…”

“…These models may be further subdivided into 'pre-adult effects' (Persson, 2014) and 'allocation effects' (Stubager, 2008).…”

“…Following Phelan et al (1995) and Stubager (2008) these may be grouped into three broad types; 'psychodynamic', 'cognitive' or 'developmental' and 'socialisation' models. Whilst, many commentators combine these modelsin trying to understand the mechanism underpinning the link between education and liberalism it is useful to maintain these distinctions.…”

“…Stubager (2008) and Van de Werfhorst and de Graaf (2004) each make use of data on the field of study, to further discriminate between models. Van de Werfhorst and de Graaf (2004) argue that there is no reason to expect field differences according to the cognitive model as all fields of study should develop cognitive sophistication to a similar level; they go on to argue that fields of study with an emphasis on communication and social skills are more liberal in both the economic and social sense than those with lower qualifications or qualifications in fields which do not address social and communication skills.…”

The Education Effect: Higher Educational Qualifications are Robustly Associated with Beneficial Personal and Socio-political Outcomes

“…These two constructs have been found to be strongly related to each other (Dunn, 2013;Green, Sarrasin, Fasel, & Staerklé, 2011;Wagner, Becker, Christ, Pettigrew, & Schmidt, 2012), as well as to a wider range of important constructs such as prejudice, ethnic exclusionism, xenophobia, authoritarianism and political attitudes (Coenders & Scheepers, 2003;Kalmijn & Kraaykamp, 2007;Kuppens & Spears, 2014;Ostapczuk, 2009;Stubager, 2008;Weil, 1985). Despite their close relationship, ingroup and outgroup attitudes are often distinguished in the social sciences, and have been found to be associated with different antecedents and consequences (e.g.…”