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Sociology

The Demography of Intergenerational Mobility and the Persistence of Class

Quick fact

Across many Western countries, about half of the income advantage (or disadvantage) of parents is passed on to their children. In countries like Denmark, this 'intergenerational elasticity' is around 0.15, while in the US it is close to 0.5, meaning class persistence is about three times stronger in the US.

Why this is interesting

You might assume that in a growing economy, children naturally do better than their parents. But do they? And if not, why does class seem to stick to families across generations?