News release

From: The Royal Society

Conservative values - Experimental and cross-cultural evidence that parenthood and parental care motives increase social conservatism

Becoming a parent is among the most important life events, yet little research has examined its potential influence on social attitudes. Because socially conservative values ostensibly prioritize safety, stability, and family values, we predicted that being a parent and being more invested in parental care might make socially conservative policies more appealing. Here, we find evidence that inducing parental care motives leads to increases in socially conservative attitudes, and that parenthood is associated with social conservatism around the world. In light of rapidly changing global birthrates, the current findings could have profound implications for the future political landscape. 

• Conservative values - Having children, rather than getting older, may explain much of a global pattern of increased social conservatism with age. Through a series of surveys, researchers demonstrate that ‘parenting motives’ – parenthood or parental care motivation (e.g. feelings towards a child crying) – fundamentally influence social conservatism. Attitudes to subjects like abortion, welfare and national security became more conservative with the number of children. Global increases in childlessness could contribute to future liberalisation on social issues, the authors said.