Abstract
This article discusses a controversial question, namely whether vertical conflicts are still relevant. For this purpose an international comparison using ISSP data is done, which includes thirty countries and about 35,000 respondents. In a multilevel analysis the effects of macro- level variables and individual features on the subjective perceptions of vertical conflicts are examined. The analysis shows clearly, that evaluations of vertical conflicts depend on the level of inequality, the existence of institutional conflict regulations, and the actual amount of conflicts. At individual level it becomes clear, that evaluations of the strength of vertical conflicts are very different within each country. Individuals who are exposed highly at the vertical axis in a subjective sense - that means, individuals which see their own social position at the top or at the bottom of society - evaluate the intensity of vertical conflicts stronger than the other individuals. Beside these influences classical vertical stratification attributes like income, education, and so on are important, too. This also holds for subjective perceptions of income inequalities, the structure of society, and so on. It is also important to mention that the effects of some of these perceptions on the evaluation of conflicts depend on contextual variables.
Translated title of the contribution | Is class conflict obsolete? An international comparison of the perception of vertical conflicts |
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Original language | German |
Pages (from-to) | 175-200+122 |
Number of pages | 27 |
Journal | Soziale Welt |
Volume | 54 |
Issue number | 2 |
Publication status | Published - 2003 |
Externally published | Yes |