POLITICAL-IDEOLOGY AND POPULAR BELIEFS ABOUT CLASS AND OPPORTUNITY - EVIDENCE FROM A SURVEY EXPERIMENT

This paper examines popular understanding of class inequalities in opp ortunity using an experimental approach to assess implicit as well as explicit comprehension. Three competing representations of popular bel iefs are compared: a 'class inequality' model, implying widespread bel ief in class-related inequalities of opportunity; a 'meritocratic' vie w of achievement, in which emphasis is placed on individual responsibi lity; and an 'ideological polarization' model, which assumes that beli efs emphasizing class inequality or merit vary with left-right ideolog y. Predictions derived from these ideas are tested using a national su rvey with an experimental design, in which respondents are presented w ith vignettes designed to elicit their beliefs as to how and why peopl e from different class backgrounds obtain middle-class or working-clas s occupations. As predicted by the class inequality model, there is cl ear evidence of the impact of tacit assumptions about class structured inequality of opportunity on expectations, judgments of responsibilit y and explanations of occupational attainment. Even among right-wing r espondents, who are more likely to endorse the rhetoric of individual responsibility, there remains an implicit awareness of social class in fluences on life-chances, suggesting the pervasive presence of these b eliefs in popular understanding of social processes.