Expected inheritance and pension attitudes among young people in EU post-communist vs. Anglosphere countries

The goal of the study is to evaluate the influence of participants' expected inheritance (assets) on their attitudes toward etatism and pension benefits. The primary question is whether young people with an expected family inheritance exhibit different attitudes in these areas. Additionally, the study examines attitudes across gender, age, and country. One of the most significant challenges of pensions is preserving value over an individual's lifetime, as there is no definitive answer regarding which assets perform best in this regard. Public skepticism toward the pension system and the state is common, complicating matters further. This problem is particularly pronounced among younger individuals who have yet to assume full economic and financial responsibilities. They are often less economically literate and have limited access to financial advice. However, they do receive some foundational prior knowledge from their homes. The rationale for incorporating attitudes towards pensions as a valid variable is that prior knowledge plays a crucial role in judgments on specific issues, such as preserving value in the future or evaluating long-term investments. Even without personal experience, individuals have attitudes that shape their judgments. Overall, more than 700 people participated in the study. After removing outliers, N= 531 valid cases from seven countries: Poland, Romania, the USA, the UK, Canada, and Ireland. A power analysis preceded the testing of the MANOVA model. We found a significant difference in attitudes among participants who grew up in families investing in real estate and tangible assets. Those from families that invested in tangible assets exhibited a stronger concern regarding pension benefits, implying that people with such investments feel less secure about their pensions. Additionally, we found a significant interaction effect between the type of country and expected inheritance. In the Anglosphere countries, people have more positive attitudes toward etatism and pension benefits compared to those in Poland and Romania. This outcome confirms stronger kinship ties in the latter countries and a higher cultural attachment to real estate.