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Genetic Influence on Intergenerational Educational Attainment
Ziada Ayorech1, Eva Krapohl1, Robert Plomin1
11 MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London.
Psychological Science
|July 18, 2017
Summary
Genetics significantly influences educational attainment across generations, explaining almost half of the variance. A genomewide polygenic score (GPS) for education correlates with family educational stability and mobility.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Genetics
- Sociogenomics
- Human Genetics
Background:
- Educational attainment is a key determinant of social mobility and life outcomes.
- Understanding the interplay between genetics and environment in educational achievement is crucial for public policy.
- Previous research suggests a heritable component to educational attainment, but the extent of genetic influence on intergenerational transmission is less clear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the genetic contribution to parent-offspring educational attainment correspondence.
- To investigate the association between a genomewide polygenic score (GPS) for education and intergenerational educational mobility.
- To explore genetic influences as an indicator of educational opportunity equality.
Main Methods:
- Utilized twin (N=6,105 pairs) and genomic (N=5,825 unrelated individuals) analyses.
- Calculated genomewide polygenic scores (GPS) for years of education.
- Compared GPS means across different categories of intergenerational educational mobility (stable, upward, downward).
Main Results:
- Genetic factors accounted for nearly half of the variance in intergenerational educational attainment.
- Higher GPS means were observed in offspring from stably educated families compared to stably uneducated families.
- GPS means varied across upwardly and downwardly mobile offspring, indicating genetic influence on educational mobility patterns.
Conclusions:
- Genetic influences play a substantial role in the transmission of educational attainment across generations.
- A genomewide polygenic score for education effectively predicts patterns of intergenerational educational mobility.
- Genetic contributions to intergenerational educational attainment can serve as a proxy for the equality of educational opportunities within a society.
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