Upward social mobility, well-being and political preferences: evidence from the BHPS

Andrew Eric Clark and Emanuela D'Angelo

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: The paper uses 18 waves of BHPS data to provide evidence of the roles of both own social status and upward mobility relative to one's parents on job and life satisfaction, preferences for redistribution, pro-public sector attitudes and voting. Both own social status and greater mobility with respect to parents are positively associated with subjective well-being. However, this symmetric effect disappears for political preferences. While greater social status is associated with less favourable attitudes to redistribution and the public sector, greater upward mobility is associated with more Left-wing attitudes. These attitudes translate into actual reported voting behaviour. Upwards social mobility produces satisfied Left-wingers.

Keywords: social mobility; satisfaction; redistribution; inequality; voting; wellbeing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A14 C25 D31 J28 J62 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 30 pages
Date: 2013-12-19
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:121792

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