Towards a grounded theory of intergenerational solidarity in Ireland: critical reflections on methods and methodology

As populations age, the extent and depth of intergenerational solidarity in modern societies is becoming increasingly salient in debates surrounding welfare state reform. Some previous research on generations hastened to identify older people as „third agers‟ without any critical assessment of how such an identity might be related to earlier life experience or expectation for the future. Rarely have studies of intergenerational relations attempted to construct a general theory of intergenerational solidarity at the societal level, which is inclusive of all generations. It is important that appropriate research methods are devised to investigate the complexity of intergenerational issues, given the changes facing ageing welfare states. This paper presents critical reflections on a grounded theory approach to investigating intergenerational solidarity in the Republic of Ireland. Based on one hundred in-depth interviews with a diverse sample of citizens living in Ireland in 2011–12, the study probes intergenerational solidarity at individual, family and societal levels. Reflections on research design, sampling, recruitment, coding and categorizing a large-scale qualitative study are presented. The grounded theory approach promises to reveal much about the fundamental link between attitudes towards one's own and other generations, and the broader question of age-based resource allocation now and in the future.