Genomics of Educational Attainment Across 80 Years of Social and Political Transformation in Germany
- 1Max Planck Research Group Biosocial - Biology, Social Disparities, and Development, Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Abstract
Abrupt social and political transformations in twentieth-century Germany may have shifted how polygenic indices relate to educational outcomes across birth cohorts. Following a prespecified analysis plan, we harmonized genomic, educational, and regional data from four German studies, comprising 13,049 individuals born between 1918 and 1995. Polygenic index associations with educational attainment were robust and strengthened modestly across more recent birth cohorts, with no detectable difference between East and West Germany. Associations with intergenerational educational mobility showed no evidence of such strengthening but were stronger in the East than in the West. Polygenic indices were less predictive of educational attainment and educational mobility for women than for men, with no evidence of regional variation. We discuss the methodological limitations of polygenic indices for examining gene-environment interactions, and emphasize that evaluating whether these differences represent progress towards equal educational opportunity requires a normative framework that social science genetics alone cannot supply.
Related
- Locking in Paris 2024: legacy framing and the eventification of public policy - exposing the political footprint of mega-events
- Does Surgical Approach Influence Benchmark Attainment in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma?
- From outrage to action: Efficacy moderates the relationship between anger and prosocial political outcomes
- Financing resilience, governing vulnerability: Adaptation finance as a form of political infrastructure
- The political turn of the extended mind: rethinking autonomy beyond individualism in a technological world
BibTeX
@misc{fraemke2026genomics,
title = {{Genomics of Educational Attainment Across 80 Years of Social and Political Transformation in Germany}},
author = {D. Fraemke and A. Miller and P. Koellinger and R. Hertwig and D. Richter and S. Zinn and C. Kandler and A. J. Forstner and B. Moenkediek and M. Diewald and A. Teumer and S. E. Baumeister and H. Voelzke and U. Voelker and H. J. Grabe and L. Bertram and U. Lindenberger and J. Drewelies and S. Kuehn and I. Demuth and D. Gerstorf and A. Okbay and P. Biroli and N. Fuchs-Schuendeln and K. P. Harden and A. Abdellaoui and M. Malanchini and E. M. Tucker-Drob and L. Raffington},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.18.752588},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.18.752588v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Genomics of Educational Attainment Across 80 Years of Social and Political Transformation in Germany
AU - D. Fraemke
AU - A. Miller
AU - P. Koellinger
AU - R. Hertwig
AU - D. Richter
AU - S. Zinn
AU - C. Kandler
AU - A. J. Forstner
AU - B. Moenkediek
AU - M. Diewald
AU - A. Teumer
AU - S. E. Baumeister
AU - H. Voelzke
AU - U. Voelker
AU - H. J. Grabe
AU - L. Bertram
AU - U. Lindenberger
AU - J. Drewelies
AU - S. Kuehn
AU - I. Demuth
AU - D. Gerstorf
AU - A. Okbay
AU - P. Biroli
AU - N. Fuchs-Schuendeln
AU - K. P. Harden
AU - A. Abdellaoui
AU - M. Malanchini
AU - E. M. Tucker-Drob
AU - L. Raffington
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/18
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.18.752588
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.18.752588v1
AB - Abrupt social and political transformations in twentieth-century Germany may have shifted how polygenic indices relate to educational outcomes across birth cohorts. Following a prespecified analysis plan, we harmonized genomic, educational, and regional data from four German studies, comprising 13,049 individuals born between 1918 and 1995. Polygenic index associations with educational attainment were robust and strengthened modestly across more recent birth cohorts, with no detectable difference between East and West Germany. Associations with intergenerational educational mobility showed no evidence of such strengthening but were stronger in the East than in the West. Polygenic indices were less predictive of educational attainment and educational mobility for women than for men, with no evidence of regional variation. We discuss the methodological limitations of polygenic indices for examining gene-environment interactions, and emphasize that evaluating whether these differences represent progress towards equal educational opportunity requires a normative framework that social science genetics alone cannot supply.
ER -