The Social Gradient in Social and Emotional Skills

Social and emotional skills are critical for children’s development and success in education and work life. Despite their importance for human capital development, few studies have examined how these skills vary across socioeconomic backgrounds. Evidence of a social gradient in social and emotional skills would highlight an additional factor contributing to the persistence of socioeconomic disparities across generations. Using four large datasets from Norway, we analyze the social gradient in a comprehensive set of social and emotional skills throughout childhood (e.g. behavior problems, executive function, relationship skills). We standardize family income rank across datasets by using national population registry data to define income tertile cutoffs. Our findings reveal a significant and consistent social gradient across assessments, samples, and ages, underscoring its role in driving intergenerational persistence in socioeconomic status.