Lower-educated citizens have less confidence in politics, the judiciary and science than higher-educated citizens. Moreover, they are less well represented in such institutions and are less able to find their way there. They also more often exhibit unhealthy behavior, are sick more often and die earlier. Why is it like that? Prof.dr. Jeroen van der Waal goes during his inaugural lecture About living with a low status, on 20 May at Erasmus University Rotterdam, will elaborate on this question. This is reported by Erasmus University Rotterdam.
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In his inaugural lecture, sociologist Jeroen van der Waal explores the role status differences play in the comprehensive educational divide that characterizes the Netherlands and many other Western countries. How does the experience of their lifestyle being looked down upon shape the thinking, feeling and acting of lower educated citizens? And how does that help in understanding the major differences between citizens with different levels of education when it comes to health, healthy behavior and political preferences?
Status differences for the educational breakline
In his inaugural lecture, Jeroen van der Waal outlines an interdisciplinary research program in which the role of status differences for the educational gap is systematically investigated. In doing so, he combines insights from social health care, political science, psychology and sociology, and he enriches sociological survey and experimental research with physiological research into stress and emotions, and with socio-psychological research into implicit associations with lifestyle characteristics. This provides crucial insights for several long-running scientific debates, which can also be used to improve communication between institutional professionals on the one hand and less educated citizens, patients and students on the other.
By: National Education Guide
Image: Erasmus University Rotterdam / Bob Bronshoff
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