Finding #5: Mindsets interrelate and form clusters. 

Mindsets are connected to one another and form what we call ‘mindset clusters.’ Activating one of the mindsets in these clusters activates the other mindsets in the grouping. 

The Individualistic, Naturalistic and Exclusionary cluster is a set of mindsets that focuses thinking on individual responsibility and the sense that there is a natural order to the world. When this cluster is active, people hold on to the status quo and have difficulty seeing the effects of context, systems, and environments in shaping the wellbeing of young children and families. 

The Collective and Structural cluster channels thinking towards the recognition of collective responsibility and allows people to see the role of context in shaping development.  This cluster leads to a sense of shared, social responsibility for the wellbeing of children and of the need to alter contexts in which children develop to provide it. 

Both of these clusters exist in people’s thinking, and people move between them based on how issues are framed. Mindsets from both clusters are widely held across the population, meaning that they are used by people across demographic groups. In one moment, someone might draw on mindsets from one cluster, and in the next, draw on mindsets from the other. For each cluster, the more strongly people endorse one mindset, the more strongly they tend to endorse other mindsets in the cluster. 

Since both clusters are available but have different implications for solutions support, framing matters. When mindsets in the Individualistic, Naturalistic and Exclusionary cluster are activated, people are less likely to support early years policies. On the other hand, mindsets in the Collective and Structural cluster have strong positive relationships with policy support; activating the mindsets in this cluster is likely to boost support for early years policies. Framing strategies that can activate the Collective and Structural cluster are therefore key to expanding support for early years policy reforms. 

The graphic below shows the relationships between the mindsets in each cluster, as well as the relationships between clusters. The strength of the relationships between mindsets are indicated by correlation coefficients (r), with larger coefficients meaning stronger relationships. Use your mouse to hover click each mindset and see how it connects to other mindsets.