Work

The old folks at home: parental state pension eligibility and adult children’s well-being

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: We here use UK panel data and establish the causal effect of parental State Pension eligibility on their adult children’s well-being in a Regression Discontinuity Design analysis. The life and income satisfaction of adult children whose mothers become eligible for the State Pension both rise by 0.06 standard deviations in the short run. These impacts are stronger for adult children with lower incomes, who have young children of their own, and who live close to their parents. These findings are consistent with the key role of intergenerational time transfers from older eligible mothers in enhancing their adult children’s well-being.

Source: Review of Economics of the Household

DOI: 10.1007/s11150-026-09870-0

Authors: Carlotta Montorsi, Andrew E. Clark

Institutions: Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, University of Turin, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris School of Economics

Language: English

Topic: Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,390