How Parental Support Influences Children’s Beliefs in Social Mobility: The Mediating Role of Perceived Parental Expectations

Most previous studies have focused on the positive outcomes associated with beliefs in social mobility; however, relatively little is known about the factors that foster such beliefs in children within the family context. This longitudinal study aimed to examine the developmental process of children’s social mobility beliefs. A sample of 581 children (Mage = 10.82 years, SD = 1.14) participated in this study and completed a series of paper-and-pencil questionnaires at two time points (T1 and T2) with a six-month interval between them. The results revealed that perceived parental support predicted increased social mobility beliefs over time. Moreover, perceived parental support at T1 positively predicted perceived parental expectations at T2, which, in turn, were positively associated with social mobility beliefs at T2, after controlling for baseline (T1) levels of this outcome. These findings highlight the crucial role of perceived parental support in facilitating children’s perception of parental expectations regarding future socioeconomic status (SES), which in turn promotes their social mobility beliefs.