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
Subjective Social Status(SSS) refers to an individual’s perception of his or her socioeconomic status. SSS inevitably differs from Objective Social Status(OSS), as we are unable to fathom our position through the employment of mere contemplation. OSS is measured meticulously through numbers and statistics.

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)