Skip to content
Beth Redbird
Menu
  • essentials
    • contact Me
    • my Coworker
    • in the News
  • in my Research
    • Seventh Generation
    • Loneliness of Affluence
    • Racial Differentials in Arrests
    • Middle Class Nation
    • Human Movement
    • Talking Economic Policy
  • recent Publications
  • in the Classroom
    • Undergraduate Courses
  • full CV
Loneliness of Affluence
Middle Class Nation
Seventh Generation
Human Movement

Category: Middle Class Nation: The Endurance of Subjective Class Identity in the United States

Middle2 1170x300

Current class schemes express theoretically important differences in economic position, but frequently have little explanatory power, in part because they are not institutionalized in the labor market. This creates a disconnect between the way that researchers view social class, and how individuals think of themselves. This study explores the meaning of class from the perspective of workers. Using public opinion surveys that cover the last 85 years, I explain patterns in subjective class identity.

Surveys consistently report that the majority of Americans identify as middle class, with little change over time, despite substantial changes in the last century to the structure of the labor market and the composition of workers. This leads to interesting speculation among researchers, including claims that: (1) there is no American class gradient; (2) class identification is meaningless; (3) individuals use limited or inconsistent criteria to assess class; and (4) there are no true remaining class tensions.

This project explores how the basis for American class identity has become more individualized over time. Specifically, I determine the most significant predictors of class identity and their changes from the 1930’s through the present day. Identity develops over the life course, often in response to significant personal events, such as moving away from parents, acquisition of first job, marriage, and unemployment, or macro-economic factors, such as rising inequality, the Great Recession and the “Welfare Queen” debates of the 1980’s.

extras

Under Construction

March 27, 2017March 27, 2017 bredbird
Under Construction

More content coming…check back soon.

Updated: March 27, 2017
Categories: Loneliness of Affluence: The Rise of High Income Class Segregation, Middle Class Nation: The Endurance of Subjective Class Identity in the United States, Racial Differentials in Arrests, Rational Inequality: Micro-Social Segregation and the Basis for Economic Opinions, Seventh Generation: Native American Inequality in the 21st Century

Pages

  • contact Me
  • essentials
  • Human Movement
  • in my Research
  • in the Classroom
  • in the News
  • Loneliness of Affluence
  • Middle Class Nation
  • Race and Arrests
  • Racial Differentials in Arrests
  • recent Publications
  • Seventh Generation
  • Startpage
  • Survey
  • Talking Economic Policy

Beth Redbird

Assistant Professor

Department of Sociology

Northwestern University

redbird@northwestern.edu

Free dark wordpress theme