„The Class You Come From: Declared Ancestry and Voting Behavior”, wygłoszą prof. dr hab. Mikołaj Cześnik oraz dr Oliwia Szczupska (Uniwerstet SWPS)

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Abstract: This article investigates the relationship between declared family background and voting behavior, proposing a symbolic-structural approach to the study of social class. While most research in political sociology measures class using current socioeconomic indicators such as education, income, and occupation, these measures often overlook the intergenerational and symbolic dimensions of class identity. Drawing on Bourdieusian theory, the paper conceptualizes class not only as a structural position in the social hierarchy but also as a historically transmitted habitus shaped by family background, cultural memory, and symbolic identification. Using survey data (POLNES), the study examines whether individuals’ self-declared ancestral social origins (such as working-class, peasant, intelligentsia, or elite backgrounds) are associated with contemporary political preferences and voting behavior. The analysis demonstrates that declared ancestry is a meaningful predictor of electoral choice, even after controlling for current-day socioeconomic characteristics. This finding suggests that class-based political orientations may persist through symbolic and cultural mechanisms that operate across generations. By integrating structural indicators with symbolic self-identification, the paper contributes to debates on the transformation and persistence of class politics in post-transformation societies. It shows that intergenerational narratives of origin continue to shape political alignments, offering a new perspective on how class operates in contemporary electoral behavior.