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The class pictures in citizens’ minds
Author(s) -
Robison Joshua,
Stubager Rune
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the british journal of sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.826
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1468-4446
pISSN - 0007-1315
DOI - 10.1111/1468-4446.12313
Subject(s) - contest , respondent , class (philosophy) , class consciousness , social class , perception , context (archaeology) , identification (biology) , social psychology , psychology , relevance (law) , consciousness , cognition , sociology , political science , epistemology , politics , history , law , philosophy , botany , archaeology , neuroscience , biology
Social class has traditionally played a key role in explaining social behaviour and cognition. However, recent analyses have been dominated by the view that the relevance of class for behaviour has dwindled in advanced industrial societies. We contest this view by focusing on the subjective components of class consciousness. Using a national survey of Danish citizens, we show that individuals continue to hold meaningful conceptions of classes, to identify with them and, moreover, to perceive substantial levels of differences between them with these latter beliefs being strongly structured by respondent class identification. These results are all the more intriguing because they stem from a high affluence/low inequality national context that should be a particularly good case for failing to find such rich class perceptions.