Lay representations of social class: A mixed methods approach to wealth-based group perceptions and stereotypes

People's perceptions of social classes may differ from scholars' definitions. We used a mixed method, sensitive to context, to examine lay perceptions of social classes in Spain. In Study 1 (N = 90), we conducted qualitative interviews to examine how people spontaneously characterize wealth-based groups. Participants identified between two and seven groups. We grouped these into five main analytical categories for analytical purposes: poor, lower and working classes, middle classes, upper classes and rich and beyond. These groups were described based on material characteristics, traits and culture. Positive traits were mainly associated with non-wealthy groups, especially the lower and working classes, while negative traits were associated with wealthy groups. In Studies 2 (N = 251) and 3 (N = 190), we extended these findings quantitatively, showing that positive stereotypes were associated with non-wealthy groups, whereas negative stereotypes were associated with wealthy groups. Using psychometric networks, non-wealthy groups were ascribed more positive traits—with some ambivalences—while wealthy groups were mainly described using negative traits. We confirmed this pattern of results through meta-analyses. These findings highlight the importance of lay perspectives in theoretical frameworks and the need for context-sensitive approaches in analysing social class representations.