it is important to be aware of our own Subjective Social Status(SSS) and how it may affect our behavior and decision-making.
![[생글기자 코너] Subjective Social Status and What it Means for Society](https://img.hankyung.com/photo/202306/AA.33593664.1.jpg)
The incongruity between OSS and SSS can be caused by factors of both individual and social domains. In a society with high exposure to, say, ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’, SSS may be lower than OSS. If you own a Maserati but the house next door has something that yells “antiquity”, your SSS is likely to be higher.
A recent study recorded the Subjective Social Status of Korean poll-takers from the year 2003 to 2021. Respondents who identified themselves as “upper-class” increased signficantly in number, while less people identified as “lower-class”. What’s intriguing about this is that the actual composition of our society has been stagnant during that exact same period.
Subjective Social Status is a complex and dynamic phenomenon that has significant effects on consumer behavior and political preference.
In Korea, the recent increase in the number of people identifying as “upper-class” may have an affect on political preference.
As individuals, it is important to be aware of our own SSS and how it may affect our behavior and decision-making.
김예림 생글기자(한영외국어고 2학년)