Origin, destination, or mobility? A systematic review of studies using diagonal reference models

Abstract

This systematic review examines 76 peer-reviewed studies that use Diagonal Reference Models (DRM) to assess the consequences of social mobility across three main thematic areas: health, well-being, and fertility (57 % of studies); political preferences (35 %); and cultural tastes (8 %). By analyzing these areas, the review identifies key theoretical frameworks, focusing on social position effects and mobility effects, and evaluates their alignment with empirical findings. For position effects, evidence suggests that destination status often outweighs origin status in shaping individual outcomes. For mobility effects, 58 % of studies either report non-significant results or do not explicitly examine mobility effects. Among the significant findings, the effects of mobility remain mixed and context-dependent. However, upward mobility generally benefits health and well-being, whereas downward mobility tends to have a detrimental effect. Recent studies have introduced methodological innovations such as mediation and counterfactual analyses. Still, key challenges remain. Subgroup analyses by gender and race/ethnicity are rare, findings are not always reported in a comparable way, and contextual factors are often missing. The review concludes that while DRM has helped clarify the role of social mobility in shaping individual outcomes, the field would benefit from greater transparency, more consistent reporting, and stronger attention to structural and demographic variation.