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The geography of intergenerational mobility in Europe

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: How do opportunities for intergenerational mobility depend on where you live? We address this question using European Social Survey data, studying the association between parents’ and children’s occupation, and how it varies by region of residence. Absolute mobility, largely driven by shifts in occupational structure, differs from relative mobility, which reflects the extent to which opportunities are equal across social origins. Capital regions emerge as hubs of absolute, but not necessarily relative, mobility. Absolute mobility correlates with human capital, labor market, demographic, and spatial factors. In contrast, relative mobility is primarily shaped by economic disparities between social classes. Greater inequality entails less mobility, even comparing different places within a country.

Source: European Societies

DOI: 10.1162/euso.a.39

Authors: Olivia Granström, Per Engzell

Institutions: Stockholm University, University College London

Language: English

Topic: Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: University College London, HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council