Young people's perception of social class

Abstract

Various theories of social class and stratification have come up with a myriad of definitions to explain the basis and affect of social hierarchies. This study hence focuses on Maltese people's perception of social class, that is, one's socio-economic position in society. It seeks to determine whether social class is still deemed to be relevant in young people's lives and whether they believe it affects their way of thinking and living in any way. The focus is on young people since youth is not only an age bracket but a way of life which is affected by various aspects, one of which might be social class. The study demonstrates that there is no one perception of social class and hence the responses of the young people reflect vast definitions of this phenomenon. The findings mentioned other studies confirmed in this study that involved conducting a telephone survey with young people aged 18 to 30 of different sexes and living in different districts. The findings conclude that although the respondents define social class differently, they seem to agree on their opinion of social class and its effects. Young respondents have quite a positive attitude towards social class and strongly believe that social class affects their way of thinking, judging and acting. Overall, the study contributes to a greater understanding of young people's subjective perception of social class in Malta and how this effects their everyday living. Such study can hence be interesting for policy makers, youth workers and various companies aiming at young consumers.