Does Class Matter? The Centrality and Meaning of Social Class Identity in Emerging Adulthood

Social class identity development remains poorly understood, especially given beliefs in meritocracy and the American Dream. The relative fluidity and invisibility of class make it a slippery problem for social identity theory (Tajfel, 1981), which assumes stable category membership. This mixed methods study explored the importance and meanings of social class in 104 college-going emerging adults. As predicted, awareness of social class occurred primarily during social comparison encounters with peers. Unexpectedly, participants rated social class as affecting their everyday experiences more than gender or ethnicity; upper-class students reported the highest importance ratings. The article highlights narratives of upper-class guilt and privilege and working-class anger and pride, and considers the implications of contradictory ratings and exempt positioning.