IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/socsci/v99y2018i1p406-422.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Subjective Social Status in Transitioning China: Trends and Determinants

Author

Listed:
  • Yunsong Chen
  • Mark Williams

Abstract

Objective This study provides the first representative portrait of temporal trends in subjective social status (SSS) in China. SSS has been shown to be important for health and well‐being outcomes, yet little is known how its determinants change over time. Methods Using data from 10 nationally representative survey waves, 2003 to 2012 (N = 80,141), we examine descriptive and multivariate trends. Oaxaca‐Blinder decomposition is used to decompose changes in determinants in mean SSS over time. Results and Conclusion Results demonstrate that (1) average SSS has risen over time, yet there is an enduring tendency for the Chinese to place themselves in lowest levels in the social hierarchy; (2) objective socioeconomic variables such as income explain much of the rise in average SSS; (3) yet the strength of the relationship between socioeconomic variables predicting SSS has been weakening over time. This article adds to our understanding of the determinants of SSS in contexts undergoing transition.

Suggested Citation

  • Yunsong Chen & Mark Williams, 2018. "Subjective Social Status in Transitioning China: Trends and Determinants," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 99(1), pages 406-422, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:99:y:2018:i:1:p:406-422
    DOI: 10.1111/ssqu.12401
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12401
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/ssqu.12401?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Azizur Rahman Khan & Keith Griffin & Carl Riskin & Zhao Renwei, 1993. "Household Income and its Distribution in China," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Keith Griffin & Zhao Renwei (ed.), The Distribution of Income in China, chapter 1, pages 25-73, Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. Xiaogang Wu & Donald Treiman, 2004. "The household registration system and social stratification in China: 1955–1996," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 41(2), pages 363-384, May.
    3. Sawako SHIRAHASE, 2010. "Japan as a Stratified Society: With a Focus on Class Identification," Social Science Japan Journal, University of Tokyo and Oxford University Press, vol. 13(1), pages 31-52.
    4. Kim, Jae-Hyun & Lee, Sang Gyu & Shin, Jaeyong & Park, Eun-Cheol, 2014. "Impact of the gap between socioeconomic stratum and subjective social class on depressive symptoms: Unique insights from a longitudinal analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 49-56.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Naoki Sudo, 2021. "Two Latent Groups Influencing Subjective Social Status: Middle Class Tendency and Clear Class Consciousness," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 158(3), pages 1045-1064, December.
    2. Hao, Fei & Xiao, Honggen, 2021. "Residential tourism and eudaimonic well-being: A ‘value-adding’ analysis," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    3. Hong Zou & Qianqian Xiong & Hongwei Xu, 2020. "Does Subjective Social Status Predict Self-Rated Health in Chinese Adults and Why?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 152(2), pages 443-471, November.
    4. Lu Chen & Miaoting Cheng, 2022. "Exploring Chinese Elderly’s Trust in the Healthcare System: Empirical Evidence from a Population-Based Survey in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-16, December.
    5. Frederich Kirsten & Ilse Botha & Mduduzi Biyase & Marinda Pretorius, 2023. "Determinants of Subjective Social Status in South Africa," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 168(1), pages 1-24, August.
    6. Niu, Zhiyong & Zhou, Xiaoyan & Pei, Hongzhou, 2021. "Effect of perceived status of entrepreneur on firm's CSR behavior: Evidence from Chinese private enterprises survey," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Naoki Sudo, 2021. "Two Latent Groups Influencing Subjective Social Status: Middle Class Tendency and Clear Class Consciousness," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 158(3), pages 1045-1064, December.
    2. Rao, Ziwei & Zhang, Yi, 2024. "Rely on children or work longer? The impact of fertility and child gender on old-age labor supply," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    3. Duan, Wenjie & Bu, He & Chen, Zheng, 2020. "COVID-19-related stigma profiles and risk factors among people who are at high risk of contagion," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    4. Li, Shi & Whalley, John & Xing, Chunbing, 2014. "China's higher education expansion and unemployment of college graduates," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 567-582.
    5. Qinyou Hu, 2024. "Social status and marriage markets: Evaluating a Hukou policy in China," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 477-509, June.
    6. Zhen Zeng & Yu Xie, 2014. "The Effects of Grandparents on Children’s Schooling: Evidence From Rural China," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(2), pages 599-617, April.
    7. Shu Hu, 2019. "“It’s for Our Education”: Perception of Parental Migration and Resilience Among Left-behind Children in Rural China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 145(2), pages 641-661, September.
    8. Yang Yang, 2023. "Hukou Identity and Economic Behaviours: A Social Identity Perspective," Erudite Ph.D Dissertations, Erudite, number ph23-02 edited by Catherine Bros & Julie Lochard, April.
    9. Zheng Mu & Wei-Jun Jean Yeung, 2018. "For Money or for a Life: A Mixed-Method Study on Migration and Time Use in China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 139(1), pages 347-379, August.
    10. Shige Song, 2013. "Prenatal malnutrition and subsequent foetal loss risk: Evidence from the 1959-1961 Chinese famine," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 29(26), pages 707-728.
    11. Chen, Yi & Fang, Hanming, 2021. "The long-term consequences of China's “Later, Longer, Fewer” campaign in old age," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    12. Carola HOMMERICH & Toru KIKKAWA, 2019. "Movement behind the Scenes: The Quiet Transformation of Status Identification in Japan," Social Science Japan Journal, University of Tokyo and Oxford University Press, vol. 22(1), pages 11-24.
    13. Yi Chen & Ziying Fan & Xiaomin Gu & Li-An Zhou, 2020. "Arrival of Young Talent: The Send-Down Movement and Rural Education in China," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(11), pages 3393-3430, November.
    14. Wenzhao Chen, 2023. "Class performance: An empirical case of Chinese service workers in hair salons," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(9), pages 1926-1940, December.
    15. Yong Cai, 2010. "China's Below‐Replacement Fertility: Government Policy or Socioeconomic Development?," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 36(3), pages 419-440, September.
    16. Zhang, Chunni & Xu, Qi & Zhou, Xiang & Zhang, Xiaobo & Xie, Yu, 2014. "Are poverty rates underestimated in China? New evidence from four recent surveys," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 410-425.
    17. Zou, Jing & Chen, Jie & Chen, Yu, 2022. "Hometown landholdings and rural migrants’ integration intention: The case of urban China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    18. Qian, Haiyan & Walker, Allan, 2015. "The education of migrant children in Shanghai: The battle for equity," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 74-81.
    19. Bingdao Zheng & Yanfeng Gu, 2022. "Institutional dynamics and access to non‐farm employment in rural China, 1950–1996," Australian Economic History Review, Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(3), pages 265-289, November.
    20. Yue Sun & Liqiu Zhao & Zhong Zhao, 2025. "Hukou Status and Children’s Education in China," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 73(2), pages 979-1021.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:99:y:2018:i:1:p:406-422. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0038-4941 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.