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Chinese perceive upward social mobility: How future mobility is influenced, but not limited by past mobility

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Perceptions of social mobility vary across countries. However, past studies have mostly focused on populations in Western developed countries. Little is known about perceptions of social mobility in non-Western developing countries. The current paper focuses on Chinese perceptions of social mobility using a large-scale nationally representative sample. We found that, overall, Chinese believed in upward social mobility. Moreover, different patterns of perceptions of social mobility were identified, which suggest that respondents experienced either upward or downward social mobility in the past, but all of them thought that they can move up in the future. Perceptions of social mobility were also linked to important sociodemographic and economic factors. We discuss these findings in relation to the Chinese economic context.

Source: International Journal of Psychology

DOI: 10.1002/ijop.12771

Authors: Hongfei Du, Yue Liang, Peilian Chi, Ronnel B. King

Institutions: Beijing Normal University, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, University of Macau

Language: English

Topic: Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,900