Measuring Social Class [Interactive Graphic]

This interactive graphic from the New York Times gives a number of ways to look at social class. It is a bit dated (uses 2001 and 2003 IPUMS Data), but still useful.To see the different possibilities, click on one of the four tabs at the top of the graphic.

Click here for NY Times Graphic : How Class Works

1. Components of Class:  This interactive breaks down social class by 4 measurable variables > Occupation, Education, Income, and Wealth.  Users can select different values of each variable to determine where someone falls on the social class spectrum. 
2. How Class Breaks Down - This interactive uses a 5x5 grid to display what class people are in based on occupation. In my opinion, the interpretation of this one is not as user friendly as the others.
3. Income Mobility -  There are four subsections here. Navigate using the titles on the top left.
1. How mobility works - This interactive gives you a sense of how people started out in 1988 and compares to where they wound up in 1998. Clicking on each social class helps illustrate that social mobility is not as easy as many think it is.
2. Overall Trends, Income Elasticity, and Country by Country are not interactive but they do have graphs that you may find useful.
4. A Nationwide Poll - These graphics are static but you could grab them and use them for presentations. There are five subsections of graphics - click on the titles to the far left in order to see them all. You can also download the complete poll results.

You can use this for talking about social class in a content class - or you can use it for talking about measurement in a methods class.