Having close family
ties creates individuals with “stronger civic virtues” who are less likely to
lie and cheat, suggests new research.

Those from loving
families were more likely to disapprove of fraudulent behaviour and “lying in
your own interest”, the study, which looked at a wide range of social groups,
showed.

The data contradicted
previous research which suggests the more a person is attached to his or her
family the less likely they are to be concerned with “tolerance and justice”
outside of their immediate group, the Daily Telegraph
reports.

The paper, to be
published by the Royal Economic Society, suggested that members of tighter
family networks promoted more altruistic attitudes through encouraging
trustworthiness and a sense of duty.

Martin Ljunge,
assistant professor at the University of Copenhagen and author of the study
said: “I find that family ties are strongly associated with attitudes that are
important for building societies with higher mutual respect and fiscal capacity,
attitudes I label ‘civic virtues’.”

Those with close
family ties were “substantially more disapproving of tax and benefit cheating,
corruption, and a range of other activities which involve a personal benefit at
the expense of other individuals,” Professor Ljunge added.

The new research,
entitled “Banfeld or Wilson? Evidence on Family Ties and Civic Virtues” included
looking at evidence obtained from second generation immigrants from 29
countries.

In particular, it
compared the previous findings of political scientists James Q Wilson and Edward
Banfield. Banfield’s research suggests close family ties leads to more parochial
behaviour where the family unit exploits others for personal gain. Wilson’s
studies have found strong family ties help build a better and broader civil
society.

Those polled in the
latest research were asked to answer whether a range of statements were “always
justified, never justified, or something in between”.

The statements
included cheating on taxes if you have a chance; claiming government benefits to
which you are not entitled; avoiding a fare on public transport; paying cash for
services to avoid taxes; and throwing away litter in a public place. Those with
close family ties were found to have stronger civic
attitudes.

Assistant Prof Ljunge
added: “The results support the idea that tightly knit groups, such as families,
can promote habits that may be important for the success of the
community.”

He added: “I also
find that individuals with stronger family ties think it is more important that
children learn to respect others.”