How Does Education Promote the Mobility of Social Class?: Empirical Analysis Based on CGSS2017

Abstract

Education has been given significant responsibilities as a way of promoting social class mobility. With the development of the market economy, there is growing concerns about whether and how much more education can still change social class. This paper uses the data of Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS)2017 to examine the effects of education and marriage matching on social mobility; used multiple linear regression to explore the pathways and specific effects of education on individual social class change. It is found that education has a significant positive effect in promoting the improvement of social class, and indirectly affects the improvement of individual social class through personal income and social capital; marriage matching is also a factor to affect people’s social class, but its effect is limited and there is a two-way pattern. In response to the findings, relevant countermeasures are proposed to increase the acceptance of social mobility and promote social fairness for a healthy development of society.