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The Apple Does Not Fall Far From the Tree: Intergenerational Persistence of Dietary Habits

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This paper provides novel evidence on how dietary habits – a key health behavior – are transmitted across generations, exploiting unique grocery transaction data linked with administrative records. We document strong intergenerational persistence in dietary habits, exceeding that of income, and consider several channels that might explain this pattern. Specifically, we find that socioeconomic status and geography account for only a small share of the transmission. Combined with the absence of a dietary response following a parent’s unexpected lifestyle-related death, these findings underscore the importance of early-life influences and habit formation.

Source: The Review of Economics and Statistics

DOI: 10.1162/rest.a.1780

Authors: Frédéric Kluser, Martina Pons

Institutions: University of Bern, University of Zurich

Language: English

Topic: Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior

Subfield: Nutrition and Dietetics

Field: Nursing

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W7161178702

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