Petra Böhnke’s research while affiliated with Hamburg University and other places

Despite the well-documented effect of parent–child relations in childhood on the reproduction of social disadvantage, little is known about how relationships between parents and their grown-up children are associated with this process. The present study addresses this research gap by investigating whether structural, cognitive, and functional aspects of family social capital in adulthood are connected to the risk of relative income poverty and its intergenerational reproduction. Based on a longitudinal sample from data of the German Family Panel (pairfam), random effects regression models as well as mediation analysis (KHB method) reveal that affectual and structural facets of intergenerational relations in adulthood matter in two ways for understanding the intergenerational reproduction of poverty. First, emotionally close intergenerational relations and living in proximity of the parental home in adulthood counterbalance the experience of economic deprivation in childhood by alleviating poverty risks. Second, emotionally and spatially distant relations between adult children and their parents partially mediate the social inheritance of poverty across generations. We additionally tested the possible moderating role of migration background but could not find considerable evidence that later-life family social capital matters differently for native and migrant families in predicting the risk of poverty.

Abstiegsängste, Furcht vor Zuwanderung und Klimawandel: Glaubt man populären Zeitdiagnosen, leben wir in einer Gesellschaft der Angst. Dieser Band trägt aktuelle Forschungsergebnisse zur Gefühlslage der Menschen in Deutschland zusammen und unterzieht damit die Diagnose »Angstgesellschaft« einer kritischen Überprüfung: Kennen die Sorgen und Ängste der Deutschen wirklich nur eine Richtung - aufwärts? Was treibt bestimmte Bevölkerungsgruppen wie Jugendliche, prekär Beschäftigte oder Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund um? Welche Rolle spielen Sorgen und Ängste für die Wahlerfolge rechtspopulistischer Parteien? Die Beiträge zeigen, dass die Befindlichkeiten der Menschen zwar auf gesellschaftliche Bruchlinien verweisen, Deutschland aber dennoch keine Angstgesellschaft ist.