Abstract
We use 2012 data on economically developed countries from the International Social Survey Program to examine variation in “cultural norms” (at the world region and country levels) and “attitudes” (at the individual level) regarding the appropriate roles of family members and formal providers in both the provision and financing of assistance with daily activities at home. Our analysis has two parts: (1) a descriptive analysis of differences in cultural norms by world region and country (N = 25 countries) and (2) a multilevel multinomial logistic regression analysis of the importance of country-level factors in explaining individuals’ elder support attitudes (N = 21 countries). In the descriptive analysis, we find substantial variation in cultural norms both between world regions and between countries within all world regions except for the Nordic countries. The multilevel regression analysis points to the importance of two sets of country-level factors—“macrostructural factors” and “cultural–contextual factors”—in explaining individuals’ elder support attitudes. With regard to macrostructural factors, we find, consistent with our hypotheses, greater support for “publicly financed formal assistance” (i.e., the financing of formal assistance is supported by public funds) in countries with higher spending on services. The effects of the cultural–contextual factors are mostly consistent with our hypotheses and suggest the importance of taking into account the wider religious and political context in explaining individuals’ elder support attitudes. We conclude with a discussion of the social scientific and social policy implications of our findings.
Highlights
While there is a large body of evidence on the macrostructural factors that influence families’ elder support choices (Brandt 2013; Suanet et al 2012), we know relatively little about cross-national differences in relevant cultural norms
Among the 25 countries covered by the descriptive analysis of differences in cultural norms by world region and country, there is substantial variation in elder support norms both between regions (Fig. 2) and between countries (Fig. 3) within all regions except for the Nordic countries
A possible future direction for cross-national research on attitudes and cultural norms regarding elder support would be, similar to some studies of single countries, the use of attitudinal items or vignettes that manipulate the context of elder support
Summary
While there is a large body of evidence on the macrostructural factors that influence families’ elder support choices (Brandt 2013; Suanet et al 2012), we know relatively little about cross-national differences in relevant cultural norms. Gemeinschaft relationships, family relationships reflect normative expectations that shape family members’ affective and behavioral orientations (Ikkink et al 1999; Silverstein et al 2006). The available evidence suggests that such normative expectations, including those that are relevant to families’ elder support choices, vary across countries (Daatland and Herlofson 2003; Daatland et al 2011; Dykstra and Fokkema 2011; Glaser et al 2004; Yeh et al 2013)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
