ESRA 2025 Preliminary Program

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Generational Perspectives on Key NextGenerationEU Themes: Insights from Cross-National Surveys
Session Organisers	Dr Ruxandra Comanaru (European Social Survey) Dr David Consolazio (University of Milan) Dr Yuliya Kazakova (Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute)
Time	Thursday 17 July, 09:00 - 10:30
Room	Ruppert A - 0.21

As Europe embarks on its journey towards a greener, more digital, and resilient future, understanding the generational dynamics behind key societal transformations is essential. The recently launched Infra4NextGen project, funded by the European Commission, leverages data from major social science research infrastructures to support the goals of the NextGenerationEU recovery plan, with a focus on youth policy and the priorities of "Make it Green," "Make it Digital," "Make it Healthy," "Make it Strong," and "Make it Equal."

This session invites contributions that explore generational differences and their implications for the NextGenerationEU themes across Europe. Researchers are encouraged to investigate how attitudes toward these five priorities vary across birth cohorts and regions, and how such variations relate to broader socio-economic and cultural contexts. Possible questions include: How do younger and older generations differ in their views on climate action, digital transformation, and health resilience? What role do generational differences play in shaping opinions on equality and social cohesion? How do these differences influence broader societal change and policy development?

Submissions should draw on cross-national survey data such as the European Social Survey, Generations and Gender Programme, European Values Study, International Social Survey Programme, European Quality of Life Surveys, Eurobarometer. These data sources provide a rich foundation for examining key issues, from values and institutional trust to attitudes toward welfare, immigration, and democracy. Both conceptual and methodological contributions that shed light on generational dynamics and their societal impacts are welcome.

By combining generational insights with the NextGenerationEU framework, this session aims to foster discussions that contribute to the shaping of Europe’s future, informed by robust, cross-disciplinary research. By exploring the attitudes and values of different generations, researchers can provide key recommendations to policymakers, ensuring that initiatives under the NextGenerationEU program are responsive to the diverse needs and aspirations.

Papers

Generations and Gender Survey Round II (GGS-II) in Italy: Experiences from a Cross-National Mixed-Mode Survey

Professor Nicolò Cavalli (Bocconi University)
Mr Nicolò Marchesini (Italian National Institute of Statistics)
Ms Elena Marseglia (Bocconi University)
Professor Letizia Mencarini (Bocconi University)
Ms Matilde Perotti (Bocconi University)
Dr Ilaria Primerano (National Research Council - Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies)
Dr Michele Santurro (National Research Council - Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies) - Presenting Author

We present an overview of the design and methodological advancements of the Italian implementation of the Generations and Gender Survey, Round II (GGS-II). Supported by the Fostering Open Science in Social Science Research (FOSSR) project, the Italian GGS-II was launched in 2024 and collects data from a representative sample of 12,500 individuals aged 18-59, plus 3,500 aged 60-79, funded by the collaboration with Age.it project. The survey covers key topics such as fertility dynamics, family structure, intergenerational relationships, gender roles, etc.
Notably, nearly half of the participating countries (9 out of 20) in the GGS-II adopted Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) as the sole data collection mode, as it has shown high data quality, cost efficiency, and reduced desirability bias in responses. For the Italian survey, however, the face-to-face Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) was chosen as the primary method targeting 10,500 respondents, supplemented by a smaller CAWI component with up to 5,500 individuals, to optimise response rates and sample representativeness, especially given Italy’s broader age range (including respondents aged 60+) and the persistent digital divide across regions and demographics, particularly among women and older adults. Flexibility is also provided, as invitation letters are sent in batches, in order to control fieldwork progress and hence stimulates good performance. Moreover, respondents may choose between CAPI and CAWI modes, depending on CAWI quotas at each collection stage. This flexibility enhances engagement and ensures a balanced sample. Additionally, different reminder strategies have been established for each interview mode.
With its modular approach and context-specific design, the Italian GGS-II serves as an invaluable tool for international comparisons and understanding Italy’s landscape, discussing constraints and opportunities associated with adapting a cross-national survey within a distributed research infrastructure.

Generational perspectives on trust in democracy in Europe

Professor Rumiana Stoilova (Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences) - Presenting Author
Dr Martin Konstantinov (Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences)
Professor Kaloian Haralampiev (Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski")

Non-voting behavior, along with voting for populist and right-wing political formations, is a challenge for Europe today. Norris and Inglehart’s (2019) insight is that authoritarian populism is a cultural phenomenon, better predicted by age cohort than by political or economic conditions. Voting behavior measured by voice or exit (Aasve et al. 2024) is impacted by unemployment status but not by age. That is why we aim to investigate not simply age cohorts but to interpret the generational dynamic behind trust in democracy and politicians.
‘Generation’ is not simply a cohort clustered by a bounded year of birth, but a group of contemporaries who share a history and a set of experiences that have marked their formative life (Manncheim 1952). Further generations undergo the same life course transitions. We differentiate between three generations: young (people below 35), middle-aged (36-55), elderly (55+). The rationale for this is that the young generation has completed its double transitions from education to work and from youth to adulthood. The young generation faces the challenges of adapting education to labor market needs. The shortcomings in housing policies are most troubling for them. The middle-aged generation is established in work or, on the contrary, is experiencing insecurity and precarity on the labor market. The elderly generation is characterized by the transition from active career to retirement. Often this transition is leading to the loss of material status and prestige, accompanied by health issues. How these important individuals’ life course transitions interact with social crises? How politicians in Europe and in national governments respond to different generations' expectations? The answers to these questions impact trust in democracy and in politicians. Our comparative analysis is based on the European Social Survey, waves 6 and 10 (2010, 2020).

Generational Perspectives on Climate Action: Fairness, Responsibility, and Policy Implications Across Europe

Professor Wouter Poortinga (Cardiff University) - Presenting Author

Research consistently shows that younger generations are more concerned about climate change than older ones. This generational divide is often attributed to younger individuals growing up with greater awareness of climate issues and facing more severe future consequences. Such differences raise profound questions about intergenerational fairness in both the causes and consequences of climate change. This presentation draws on data from the Infra4NextGen project to explore generational differences in attitudes toward climate action and their implications for policy across Europe. The project leverages the CROss-National Online Survey (CRONOS) panel, which gathers data over five waves in 11 countries (Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Finland, France, Hungary, Iceland, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom). Specifically, this presentation uses the “Make it Green” module, which examines public attitudes toward climate change, pro-environmental behaviours, and support for various climate policies. The findings will illuminate how different generations perceive their responsibilities in climate mitigation, their views on the fairness of climate impacts and mitigation costs, and their expectations of procedural justice in policymaking. By analysing these perspectives, the presentation will highlight the implications for designing equitable and effective climate policies that bridge generational divides.

Enhancing Cross-National Comparability in GGS-II Surveys

Ms Aisling Connolly (NIDI) - Presenting Author
Ms Olga Grünwald (NIDI)
Mr Thibaud Ritzenthaler (INED )

The Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) provides high-quality, longitudinal, and cross-national data on family and population dynamics. The GGS has evolved to enhance comparability across countries which is crucial for studying global trends and informing evidence-based policies. The second round of the survey (GGS-II) adopted a centralised approach, refining the questionnaire design, sampling procedures, and data collection methods to address comparability challenges identified in the first round of the survey (GGS-I).

Comparability in GGS-II in this study is measured through adherence to the baseline questionnaire across 12 countries. Results show a high degree of comparability in countries like Austria, Denmark, and Finland (99% comparable to the baseline questionnaire), highlighting the effectiveness of centralised coordination. In contrast, countries like Sweden (41%) and Germany (83%) show lower comparability due to independent data collection and the omission of certain standardised elements.

Although the GGS-II has made significant progress in ensuring cross-national comparability, challenges remain in pursuing complete comparability. Addressing translation inconsistencies, revising the baseline questionnaire, and incorporating country-specific questions require ongoing attention to ensure accuracy and consistency across different national contexts. Nevertheless, the centralised approach has substantially improved the reliability and consistency of the data compared to GGS-I, enabling robust analysis of demographic trends and supporting international policy development.