Class Awareness in Japan and the U. S.

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the determinants of subjective social status. This topic used to be discussed extensively in the U.S., although few consider the present state of social status. We focus on the sequence of temporal change in Japan in comparison with that in the U.S. Thus, we apply a multigroup MIMIC model to the longitudinal dataset from both societies. We feature subjective social status as the dependent variable. This is measured as a latent concept by three indicators: class identification, self-ranked social position, and satisfaction with standard of living. As independent variables, we examine the general aspects of objective social status: education, occupation, and household income. Significance tests of the model fit indicate that objective social status gradually gains influence to subjective social status in Japan, while the determinant structure is almost equally maintained in the U.S. Expanding class awareness observed in Japan calls for researchers to pay attention to future consequences not only in the U.S., but also other countries.