Does Low (vs. High) Subjective Socioeconomic Status Increase Both Prosociality and Aggression?

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Greitemeyer ◽  
Christina Sagioglou
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Subjective Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Subjective Ses

Abstract. Previous research has shown that people of low subjective socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely to experience compassion and provide help to others than people of high SES. However, low subjective SES also appears to be related to more hostile and aggressive responding. Given that prosociality is typically an antagonist of aggression, we examined whether low subjective SES individuals could be indeed more prosocial and antisocial. Five studies – two correlational, three experimental – found that low subjective SES was related to increased aggression. In contrast, subjective SES was not negatively related to trait and state measures of prosociality.

Peer Victimization and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Among Chinese Left-Behind Children: The Moderating Roles of Subjective Socioeconomic Status and Social Support

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626051989734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quanquan Wang ◽  
Xia Liu
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Peer Victimization ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
Subjective Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Subjective Ses ◽  
Nonsuicidal Self Injury

Peer victimization is a serious issue among school-aged children. Chinese left-behind children tend to experience peer victimization and associated nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) behavior. However, the possible improvement of subjective socioeconomic status (SES) based on increased family income may serve to buffer the relationship between peer victimization and NSSI, and this buffering effect may differ by level of social support. Thus, the current study aimed to examine the moderating effect of subjective SES on the relationship between peer victimization and NSSI by the level of social support among Chinese left-behind children. A total of 431 left-behind children and 447 non-left-behind children (comparison group) completed self-report scales measuring peer victimization, NSSI, subjective SES, and social support. Results showed that peer victimization was positively related to NSSI among left-behind children, but not among non-left-behind children. Moreover, for left-behind children with low levels of social support, high subjective SES intensified the association between peer victimization and NSSI; peer victimization was positively associated with NSSI among left-behind children who reported high subjective SES, but not among those with low subjective SES. However, high levels of social support seemed to protect the left-behind children with high subjective SES who experienced peer victimization from NSSI. For non-left-behind children with both parents present, high subjective SES played a protective role in the association between peer victimization and NSSI, regardless of the levels of social support they enjoyed. These findings contribute to an understanding of subjective SES as a moderating mechanism in the association between peer victimization and NSSI among left-behind children. Social support proved central to the protective role of subjective SES. Intervention programs to enhance social support can help to strengthen the protective effect of subjective SES on NSSI among left-behind children who experience peer victimization.

Does Subjective SES Moderate the Effect of Money Priming on Socioeconomic System Support? A Replication of Schuler and Wänke (2016)

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarret T. Crawford ◽  
Allison Fournier ◽  
John Ruscio
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Interaction Effects ◽  
System Justification ◽  
System Support ◽  
Just World ◽  
Priming Effects ◽  
Subjective Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Socioeconomic System ◽  
Subjective Ses ◽  
Money Priming

Findings that money priming increases socioeconomic system support have proven difficult to replicate. Schuler and Wänke found that subjective socioeconomic status (SES) moderates money priming effects on system justification and belief in a just world. We conducted three preregistered replications of this research, with sample sizes 3 times those of the original studies. Replication 1 was a conceptual replication that combined elements from the original two studies, and Replications 2 and 3 were close replications of Studies 1 and 2, respectively. None of the four subjective SES × Money Prime interaction effects tested were statistically significant, and only one of the four survived a “small telescopes” analysis. We discuss reasons for our general failure to replicate the original findings and implications for money priming effects.

scholarly journals Subjective Socioeconomic Status and Health in Cross-National Comparison

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Präg ◽  
Melinda C. Mills ◽  
Rafael Wittek
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
National Study ◽  
Occupational Prestige ◽  
Subjective Socioeconomic Status ◽  
National Comparison ◽  
Cross National Study ◽  
Subjective Ses ◽  
Cross National

Research has established a robust association between subjective socioeconomic status (SES) and health outcomes, which holds over and above the associations between objective markers of SES and health. Furthermore, comparative research on health inequalities has shown considerable variation in the relationship between different objective markers of SES and health across countries. Drawing on data from 29 countries, we present the first cross-national study on the subjective SES–health relationship. For two health outcomes, namely self-rated health (SRH) and psychological wellbeing, we are able to confirm that subjective SES is related to health in all countries under study, even when income, education, and occupational prestige are accounted for. Furthermore, we document considerable variation in the strength of the subjective SES–health association across countries. This variation however is largely independent of country differences in income inequality and country affluence. The health benefits of a high subjective SES appear to be slightly larger in more affluent countries, but only for SRH, not for psychological wellbeing.

scholarly journals Can Pets Replace Children? The Interaction Effect of Pet Attachment and Subjective Socioeconomic Status on Fertility Intention

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8610
Author(s):  
Zhen Guo ◽  
Xiaoxing Ren ◽  
Jinzhe Zhao ◽  
Liying Jiao ◽  
Yan Xu
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Interaction Effect ◽  
Economic Resources ◽  
Fertility Intention ◽  
Pet Attachment ◽  
Subjective Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Opt Out ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Subjective Ses

A growing number of young people tend to regard their pets as their surrogate children, yet research examining the relationship between pet attachment and fertility intention remains scarce. Moreover, individuals’ fertility intention is affected by economic resources. Therefore, we conducted two studies to examine the interaction effect of pet attachment and subjective socioeconomic status (SES) on childbearing-aged individuals’ fertility intention. In Study 1, we utilized questionnaires to measure Chinese pet owners’ pet attachment, subjective SES, and fertility intention. In Study 2, participants’ pet attachment was experimentally manipulated by reading articles about the benefits of petkeeping. The results of the two studies consistently demonstrated that the effect of pet attachment on fertility intention was moderated by subjective SES. Specifically, pet attachment was negatively associated with fertility intention when individuals had a high level of subjective SES, whereas this effect disappeared when individuals had low subjective SES. These findings suggest an explanation for why individuals with high subjective SES delay or even opt out of childbearing. The limitations and implications of the current study are discussed.

Testing the Status-Legitimacy Hypothesis in China: Objective and Subjective Socioeconomic Status Divergently Predict System Justification

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 1044-1058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenqi Li ◽  
Ying Yang ◽  
Junhui Wu ◽  
Yu Kou
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
System Justification ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Total N ◽  
Subjective Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Lower Socioeconomic ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Status ◽  
Subjective Ses

The status-legitimacy hypothesis proposes that people with lower socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely to justify the social system than those with higher SES. However, empirical studies found inconsistent findings. In the present research, we argue that at least part of the confusion stems from the possibility that objective and subjective SES are differently related to system justification. On one hand, subjective SES is more related to status maintenance motivation and may increase system justification. On the other hand, objective SES is more related to access to information about the social reality, which may increase criticism about the system and lead to lower system justification. These hypotheses were supported by evidence from five studies (total N = 26,134) involving both adult and adolescent samples in China. We recommend that future research on status-related issues needs to distinguish the potential divergent roles of objective and subjective SES.

scholarly journals Subjective Socioeconomic Status Matters Less When Perceived Social Support Is High: A Study of Cortisol Responses to Stress

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 981-989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily D. Hooker ◽  
Belinda Campos ◽  
Peggy M. Zoccola ◽  
Sally S. Dickerson
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
Linear Change ◽  
Subjective Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Cortisol Responses ◽  
Acute Stressor ◽  
Subjective Ses

Low objective and subjective socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with the experience of frequent stressors known to have physiological costs. We tested whether perceived social support, a key health-protective resource, buffered the association between lower subjective SES and cortisol responses to an acute stressor. Participants ( N = 115; 54.78% female; age M = 19.56) reported subjective SES and perceived support, completed a social-evaluative stressor task, and provided saliva for cortisol assessment. There was a significant interaction of subjective SES with support predicting linear change in cortisol stress responses, γ = .08, z = 2.34, p = .02. When support was low, subjective SES was strongly related to cortisol, and those who reported lower subjective SES exhibited higher cortisol during recovery than those who reported higher subjective SES. When support was high, those who reported higher and lower subjective SES exhibited similar cortisol responses. These results highlight the important protective role that supportive relationships can have when subjective SES is low.

scholarly journals The Interrelations Between Social Class, Personal Relative Deprivation, and Prosociality

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 660-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitchell J. Callan ◽  
Hyunji Kim ◽  
Ana I. Gheorghiu ◽  
William J. Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Predictive Validity ◽  
Relative Deprivation ◽  
Total N ◽  
Subjective Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Multiple Samples ◽  
Subjective Ses

We propose that personal relative deprivation (PRD)—the belief that one is worse off than similar others—plays a key role in the link between social class and prosociality. Across multiple samples and measures (total N = 2,233), people higher in PRD were less inclined to help others. When considered in isolation, neither objective nor subjective socioeconomic status (SES) was meaningfully associated with prosociality. However, because people who believe themselves to be at the top of the socioeconomic hierarchy are typically low in PRD, these variables act as mutual suppressors—the predictive validity of both is enhanced when they are considered simultaneously, revealing that both higher subjective SES and higher PRD are associated with lower prosociality. These results cast new light on the complex connections between relative social status and people’s willingness to act for the benefit of others.

scholarly journals Examining the role of perceived prestige in the link between students’ subjective socioeconomic status and sense of belonging

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 356-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mickaël Jury ◽  
Cristina Aelenei ◽  
Chen Chen ◽  
Céline Darnon ◽  
Andrew J. Elliot
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Low Ses ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
Subjective Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Collegiate Experience ◽  
Subjective Ses ◽  
Low Ses Students

Low socioeconomic status (SES) students have a lower sense of belonging to college than high-SES students. Due to the importance of sense of belonging in the college pathway, understanding the reason for this relation is particularly important. Here, we argue that in addition to having less access to resources, low-SES students in the college context also perceive themselves as having lower prestige than their high-SES counterparts. Thus, in the present research, we tested perceived prestige as a mediator of the link between subjective SES and sense of belonging to college. We conducted 3 studies in 2 different countries (USA and China), and these investigations provided evidence that the lower students’ subjective SES, the lower their self-attributed prestige, and that prestige mediated the relation between students’ subjective SES and their sense of belonging to college. The implications of these findings for understanding the collegiate experience of low-SES students are discussed.

scholarly journals Subjective Socioeconomic Status Predicts Self-Rated Health Irrespective of Objective Family Socioeconomic Background

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Präg
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Socioeconomic Background ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
Subjective Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Linear Probability ◽  
Subjective Appraisals ◽  
Subjective Ses

Aim: Subjective appraisals of socioeconomic status (SES) are robustly associated with health outcomes, even when controlling for objective SES. Is this because objective SES is not accounted for in a sufficiently exhaustive way?Methods: I pool eight waves of nationally representative survey data from Germany (German General Social Survey, 2004–18, N = 13,557) to assess the association between two separate subjective appraisals of SES (a ten-point scale and subjectively chosen social class membership) and poor self-rated health using logit and linear probability models. I account for an exhaustive range of objective SES variables, including respondents’ household incomes and social status as well as occupational status, social class, education of respondents, and of their partners, fathers, and mothers.Results: The association between subjective socioeconomic status and poor self-rated health remains stable even when accounting for a wide range of objective SES markers. This is true for both subjective SES measured on a ten-point scale and as a subjective class identification.Conclusions: Even when controlling for a large number of objective SES markers, subjective SES and self-rated health are linked, suggesting that subjective assessments of SES are meaningful measures of SES which form a distinct pathway to health.

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