THE IMPACT OF OBJECTIVE CHARACTERISTICS ON SUBJECTIVE SOCIAL POSITION

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Kristina Lindemann

Institute of International and Social Studies, Tallinn University

 

Abstract. The aim of this article is to find out what constitute the important objective basis of the subjectively identified social position. The article examines what kind of resources impact people’s opinion of their social position in society. The main question is whether the subjective position of Estonian inhabitants in social hierarchy are influenced by age, income, level of education, status on the labour market, gender and ethnicity. The focus of this article is on the influence of age, and it presents a discussion on how and to which extent age impacts people’s estimation of their position in society. The results indicate that the influence of age on the subjective social status is significant; nevertheless people generally estimate their social position according to income.

 

Keywords: reference-group theory, social stratification, subjective social position

 

 

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