What Do Group-Specific Sibling Correlations Really Measure?

Kristian Bernt Karlson
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Kristian Bernt Karlson: University of Copenhagen

No dr52h_v1, SocArXiv from Center for Open Science

Abstract: The sibling correlation, or intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), is a widely used omnibus measure of the total impact of family background on socioeconomic outcomes in social stratification research. A growing literature compares these correlations across subgroups defined by family-level characteristics (e.g., race, parental education) to test theories of social reproduction, such as parental compensation or reinforcement. In this note, I highlight the ambiguities involved in meaningfully interpreting such subgroup variation. I first define the theoretical estimand of intergenerational transmission that researchers are arguably most interested in, and then formally demonstrate why group-specific ICCs do not identify this estimand. In fact, the estimand of interest cannot be recovered from the variance-components models underlying sibling correlations unless researchers are willing to make assumptions that are not only untestable but also likely unrealistic.

Date: 2025-09-19
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osf:socarx:dr52h_v1

DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/dr52h_v1

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