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Portrait Christopher Swader. Photo Emma Lord.

Christopher Swader

Associate Professor | Senior Lecturer

Portrait Christopher Swader. Photo Emma Lord.

On Family, Work, Money, and Morals: Intergenerational Value Differences in China

Author

  • Christopher Swader
  • Hao Yuan

Summary, in English

In which ways has China‘s rapid social change crystallized into differences between its generations’ values? The significance of intergenerational value gaps in values involving work,family, materialism, and individualism is reported based on a mixed-methods approach. A set of qualitative interviews with businessmen and their fathers was conducted in Shanghai in late 2005. Semi-structured interviews with individuals from these two groups are analyzed to see if there may be intergenerational breaks and continuities. The issue is then explored quantitatively through an analysis of the 4th

wave (2000) of World Values Survey data in China. Results from both methods indicate the middle-aged cohort, compared to the older, to be less focused on thrift, more materialistic, more individualistic, and less mindful in the parental duty of norm transmission, while the valuation of hard-work is equal within the middle and older cohorts.

Publishing year

2010

Language

English

Pages

118-142

Publication/Series

Chinese Journal of Sociology

Volume

30

Issue

4

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Topic

  • Sociology (excluding Social Work, Social Psychology and Social Anthropology)

Keywords

  • norm transmission
  • values
  • China
  • traditional values
  • materialism
  • individualism

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2057-150X