The View from Above and Below: Subjective Mobility and Explanations of Class, Race, and Gender Inequality
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Experiences of downward economic mobility reduce belief in individual failings as a cause of inequality, favoring structural explanations. Upward mobility shows the opposite trend, impacting views on race and gender inequality too.
Area Of Science
- Sociology
- Social Stratification
- Public Opinion
Background
- Inequality in the United States is often explained by individual failings, a perspective that legitimizes and perpetuates social stratification.
- Understanding how personal experiences, particularly economic mobility, influence these explanations is crucial for addressing societal inequalities.
Purpose Of The Study
- To investigate the relationship between perceived economic mobility (upward, downward, or stable) and individuals' explanations for economic inequality.
- To examine whether these mobility experiences similarly shape beliefs about the causes of race and gender inequality.
- To assess the impact of mobility on support for redistributive policies across different forms of inequality.
Main Methods
- Analysis of survey data from 1110 U.S. residents, proportionally sampled to represent the national population.
- Statistical examination of the correlation between subjective economic mobility experiences and the endorsement of individualistic versus structural explanations for inequality.
Main Results
- Individuals experiencing subjective downward economic mobility were more likely to reject individualistic explanations and adopt structural ones for economic inequality.
- Conversely, upwardly mobile individuals were more inclined to reject structural explanations.
- Mobility experiences also influenced explanations for race and gender inequality, with downward mobility linked to greater support for structural explanations and redistributive policies.
Conclusions
- Perceived economic mobility significantly shapes how individuals understand the causes of inequality, extending beyond economic class to race and gender.
- Downward mobility is associated with a greater likelihood of supporting structural explanations and redistributive policies for various forms of inequality.
- Economic mobility experiences play a key role in shaping public opinion on inequality and policy preferences across multiple social dimensions.
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