Authoritarianism, Environmentalism, and Cynicism of College Students and Their Parents

The goal of this study was to determine the degree of ideological consistency across two successive generations. We collected survey data assessing authoritarianism, environmentalism, and cynicism from 507 undergraduates and their respective parents. ANOVA showed that fathers were significantly more authoritarian and less environmentally concerned than mothers and students. Students were significantly less authoritarian and more cynical than their parents. However, we found significant correlations on authoritarianism for students and parents which indicated strong parental influence on this construct. Environmentalism and cynicism were found to correlate significantly only for students with their fathers. Thus, we observed an overall generational effect, but also noted significant ideological consistency within families.