Young people are less liberal and courageous than previously thought, study finds

Although older generations are traditionally considered more conservative, scientists at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) have proved that this is not always the case. One surprising outcome of their study was that, over the last decade, the young generation of Lithuanians has grown to value safety, stability, and tradition more than risk-taking or openness to change.

Social scientists have long argued that cultural values change slowly. But rapid economic growth, technological innovation, and rising migration challenge this assumption. Value change in societies that have experienced rapid transformation, such as post-soviet countries, is still underexplored.

Young people in Lithuania are leaning towards conservative values

For the study, the respondents were divided into four broadly defined generations – the Stalin, Soviet, late-Soviet, and Independent EU – by the political period in which they grew up, rather than by the respondents’ age. The researchers believe that value differences between those generations might be related to the different contexts they grew up in.

The most intriguing finding was the shift in values towards conservatism among the youngest political generation over the period studied (2010–2020). This generation came out as the least ambitious and has become increasingly community-oriented over the years.

“It is surprising that young people who grew up in an independent Lithuania, and were free to choose anything, value conservatism. On the other hand, it is encouraging to see that they care not only about their own well-being, but also about the well-being of those around them,” says Dr Mockaitis, the leader of the project that supported the study.

According to her, this outcome contradicts the theory that the higher a country’s socioeconomic development, the more “modern” its values become. “The younger generation in Lithuania (those born after 1990) is more conservative and self-transcendent (caring about others and the community) than we expected.”

Security is valued above all

According to the findings of the study, soviet and late soviet generations are more conservative and less open to change; these values have not changed much over time.

“These generations learned to socialise in an authoritarian system, which valued order, security and collective objectives above individual goals,” says Dr Mockaitis.

She adds that, although conservatism was the norm for soviet generations due to societal structures, the independent EU generation may have been influenced by the instability of a young democracy, which explains their inclination towards conservative values. Overall, conservative values have become more important for Lithuanians over the last 10 years; security remains the most significant value.

The conservatism of the older generations is expected, the KTU researchers maintain.

“As people grow older, they tend to value stability, security and traditions more – in other words, they become more conservative. At the same time, their desire to change and experiment decreases,” says Kumpikaitė-Valiūnienė.

She says that this is a natural psychological process, as consistency becomes more important with age. Self-transcendence, or caring for others and being altruistic, also increases with age – people tend to value interpersonal relationships and community spirit more.

Similar values in the region

According to the researchers, the value dynamic in Lithuania is similar to that observed in Latvia, Estonia and Poland – society is moving towards valuing individuality more than collectivism, and from material safety towards self-realisation. However, differently from Western Europe, the modernisation of values is slower.

“Historical experiences such as occupation, independence and identity change have shaped generations that are more sensitive to and cautious about change than people in, say Scandinavian countries. As the level of trust in institutions is relatively low, people rely more on personal and family values, which is another source of conservatism,” says Kumpikaitė-Valiūnienė.

On the other hand, the westernisation of values is more prominent in Lithuania than in the neighbouring post-soviet countries, which were left out of the EU integration, such as Belarus, Moldova or, partly, Ukraine.

According to the researchers, it is expected that Lithuanian society’s values will continue to shift towards individuality, globality and conscious life choices.

“We expect that psychological well-being and harmony, social and environmental responsibility, inclusion and diversity, and the integration of technology into everyday life will become increasingly important. This will change attitudes towards work, education, and even the family model,” says Dr Kumpikaitė-Valiūnienė, Chief Project Researcher at KTU’s School of Economics and Business.

The above-described study is part of the research project “Research of the system of values and pull factors of the Lithuanian emigrants in host countries”, funded by the Lithuanian Research Council, Grant number S-MIP-23-115. The paper can be accessed here.