Up to now, there exist several studies documenting the educational expansion in Austria in the 20th century but only few studies
measuring the degree of persistence of educational attainment over generations. Furthermore, for Austria there are no internationally
comparable persistence-measures of educational attainment available. This study aims to fill this gap and delivers key-measures
for intergenerational persistence of educational attainment. The Austrian Household Survey on Housing Wealth includes information
on socioeconomic characteristics of respondents and their parents. The results demonstrate strong persistence in educational
attainment in Austria. Using uni- as well as multivariate econometric techniques and a Markovian approach we show that educational
persistence decreased over time. Overall, Austria ranks third in terms of intergenerational educational attainment persistence
among a number of European countries and the USA. Our results therefore allow to question the significance of meritocratic
values and equal opportunity for educational advancement in the Austrian society compared to other European countries and
the USA.
Forschungsbereich:Arbeitsmarktökonomie, Einkommen und soziale Sicherheit