Internal or External Loci? Objective and Subjective Socioeconomic Predictors of Classism and Social Dominance Orientation

Researchers have long studied the influence of social class on life outcomes (Dougal et al., 2024). Objective socioeconomic status (OSS), measured by tangible factors such as income and education, predicts outcomes like health-related quality of life and access to healthcare services (Ming et al., 2021). In contrast, subjective socioeconomic status (SSS), or perceived social standing, is more strongly linked to stress and mental health (Quon & McGrath, 2014). Together, OSS and SSS influence one’s social class worldview, shaping ideological beliefs about social mobility and economic inequality.

This study uses Structural Equation Modeling to examine how OSS and SSS uniquely predict classism and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). Classism, or bias based on social class, assumes economic success is driven by merit and work ethic, while SDO reflects a belief in a “just world” where social hierarchies are justified. While SDO and classism are positively correlated (Faragó et al., 2022), no research has specifically examined how OSS and SSS independently contribute to these beliefs.

Participants were comprised of 638 adult community members and college students solicited through social media and email. They completed an online survey assessing income, education, SSS (The MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status; Adler et al., 2000), classism (Aosved et al., 2009), and SDO (Pratto et al., 1994). Results offer insight into the dynamic interaction of OSS and SSS, with income positively contributing to classism and SDO but not education level. Furthermore, SSS provided a small positive contribution to both classism and SDO.