Parental Education and College Students' Attitudes Toward Love: Survey Evidence From China

Objective This study examines the correlation between parental education and college students' attitudes toward love (ATL) as well as its formative mechanisms. Background Family formation in modern societies tightly involves people's ATL, but its correlation with family origin is still elusive. Method Panel data from the random probability sample of the Beijing College Students Panel Survey were used to analyze a gradational measure of ATL. In total, 2,473 respondents were followed for 4 consecutive years. The population of interest is the college students in Beijing, China. The random-effect linear regression and mediation analyses were conducted. Results Students with better-educated parents are more likely to embrace realistic rather than romantic ATL. The effect is stable across individuals of different genders and ages. Further analyses highlight the mediating effect of family income and objectified cultural capital. Conclusion Due to economic and cultural advantages, parental education gives rise to adult children' likelihood of holding realistic ATL. Implications The link between parental education and propensity of realistic ATL serves as a potential mechanism for establishing assortative mating by family socioeconomic status, maintaining intergenerational transmission of economic advantages.