Does Poverty on Youth Affect Poverty in Adulthood?: An Analysis for Spain

Abstract

The correlation of economic, social and educational achievements between generations of the same family is a matter of great interest for the analysis of equal opportunities in society. The aim of this article is to quantify the impact and extent of the intergenerational transmission of poverty in Spain. Using data from the specific module on the intergenerational transmission of economic disadvantage in the 2011 Life Conditions Survey, propensity score matching was used to study the relationship between the economic disadvantage of one generation and the next. The results show that having economic disadvantage during adolescence increases the probability of poverty in adulthood. This impact has been reduced in younger generations.