What Do People Mean by Social Mobility? Dimensions, Indicators, and the Great Gatsby Curve
with Michael Keinprecht
Rankings of social mobility depend critically on which dimension and indicator are used, yet research offers little guidance on choosing among them. Using a conjoint experiment and a within-subject rating design with a broadly representative US sample (N = 1,002) and experts (N = 99), we provide the first systematic evidence on preferences over four dimensions of social mobility (education, occupation, income and wealth) and three indicators of income mobility. Income is the dimension the public values most, while the rank–rank slope, the indicator most prominent in the academic literature, receives the least public support. Incorporating these preferences into a composite measure substantially attenuates the Great Gatsby curve and shifts US state rankings by up to 32 positions.