The Intergenerational Transmission of Reading: Is a Good Example the Best Sermon?

42 Pages Posted: 11 Jul 2014

See all articles by Anna Laura Mancini

Anna Laura Mancini

Bank of Italy

Chiara Monfardini

University of Bologna - Department of Economics; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Silvia Pasqua

University of Turin - Department of Economics

Date Written: April 24, 2014

Abstract

We use the last two waves of the Italian Time Use Survey to analyse the intergenerational transmission of reading habits. This can be explained by both cultural and educational transfers from parents to children and by imitative behaviour. Imitation is of particular interest, since it suggests the direct influence parents can have on a child’s preference and habit formation, and opens the way for active policies promoting good parenting behaviour. We investigate the imitative behaviour of children using a household fixed-effects model, where we identify the impact of the parents’ role by exploiting the different exposure of siblings to parents’ example within the same household. We find robust evidence on the existence of an imitation effect: on the day of the survey children are more likely to read after seeing either the mother or the father reading.

Keywords: intergenerational transmission of preferences, parental role model, imitation, household fixed effects

JEL Classification: J13, J22, J24, C21

Suggested Citation

Mancini, Anna Laura and Monfardini, Chiara and Pasqua, Silvia, The Intergenerational Transmission of Reading: Is a Good Example the Best Sermon? (April 24, 2014). Bank of Italy Temi di Discussione (Working Paper) No. 958, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2464481 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2464481

Anna Laura Mancini (Contact Author)

Bank of Italy ( email )

Via Nazionale 91
Rome, 00184
Italy

Chiara Monfardini

University of Bologna - Department of Economics ( email )

Piazza Scaravilli 2
Bologna, 40126
Italy
0039 51 2098148 (Phone)
0039 51 221968 (Fax)

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Silvia Pasqua

University of Turin - Department of Economics ( email )

Via Po, 53
Torino, 10124
Italy

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