FuturISE is short for ”The Future of Intergenerational Solidarity beyond the Pandemic: Empirically-informed Ethical Analysis and Public Deliberation”. It is an international and interdisciplinary research project that investigates how solidarity between generations is understood, valued, and utilised during societal crises. Taking the pandemic as a test case, it aims to draw conclusions for ongoing and future crises and societal transformations.
“Our main focus is how policymakers and individuals from different age groups view solidarity in times of crisis, such as the pandemic, and future challenges like the climate crisis,” explains Nico Mira, PhD student at Linköping University in Ageing and Social Change, and researcher in the FuturISE project.
The research is centred on intergenerational solidarity, the moral and social relationships between different generations, with a particular focus on how younger and older groups support each other in crises, and how these actions are perceived and valued by different age groups.
“For example, during the pandemic, younger people avoided social gatherings to protect older individuals – they didn’t want to catch the infection and bring it home. At the same time, older people were expected to take responsibility so the society could reopen as quickly as possible, to benefit the development of younger people,” says Nico Mira.
Countries tackled the same crisis in different ways
There is not much previous research on these issues. However, Nico Mira assumes that perceptions of solidarity vary between countries and generations.
“The starting point for the project is that during the pandemic, people were urged by their political leaders to show solidarity with their fellow citizens, often with reference to specific age groups. However, we could see very different responses in practice through the pandemic management – some countries had large-scale lockdowns while others remained open with few restrictions.”
The project adopts a comprehensive comparative approach by examining Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. These three countries, each with distinct welfare systems, political structures, and strategies for managing the pandemic, provide valuable perspectives for understanding how intergenerational solidarity functions in different contexts.
“Germany implemented long lockdowns to protect older people and other risk groups. Sweden emphasised personal responsibility, and older people were expected to isolate themselves. In the beginning, the United Kingdom remained open but later imposed strict restrictions. By comparing these three countries, we want to highlight differences and similarities in people’s perception of intergenerational solidarity, which can provide a broader understanding from a European perspective.”
From pandemic to climate crisis
The FuturISE project has a wide spectrum of questions concerning solidarity, and will go beyond the pandemic to also relate it to other crises, such as the climate crisis.
“The pandemic is seen as a ‘stress test’ for solidarity between generations. The project aims to apply these insights to future challenges such as climate change, demographic trends, and the ongoing war in Ukraine and its broader conflict dynamics in Europe. The climate crisis is a clear example where intergenerational solidarity is crucial, as today’s decisions have a major impact on the living conditions of younger and future generations. By understanding how people perceived solidarity during the pandemic, the aim is to develop more sustainable and just ways of responding to different crises.”
