Socioeconomic Classification

Socioeconomic classification refers, in broad terms, to the arrangement, categorization, or assignment of individuals of a population (and, by extension, other population-based elements such as families, households, neighborhoods, geopolitical units, etc.) to predesignated classes, orders, subgroups, or continuous scale or gradient on the basis of perceived common social, societal, and/or economic attributes, characteristics, conditions, relations, or affinities. The goal of any socioeconomic classification is to provide a valid, relevant, and meaningful organization of the population into separate, discrete social classes or, conversely, all along a hierarchical continuum of socioeconomic position. Ample evidence supports the assertion that social and economic resources shape the health of individuals and communities; indeed, socioeconomic status is regarded as a fundamental macrodeterminant of population health. Socioeconomic classification is at the core of these considerations, and it can, therefore, critically affect epidemiological and public health research and practice, with direct implications for public health policy.

Social sciences, as well as social epidemiology, consistently recognize that behind any socioeconomic classification there is a multidimensional construct comprising diverse social and economic factors. It is increasingly acknowledged that a fundamental distinction between ‘social class,’ ‘social status,’ and measures of material living standards is needed to clarify definitions, measures, and interpretations associated with a given socioeconomic classification. This would include distinguishing between income, assets, and wealth (i.e., those based on individual and household ownership of goods), terms frequently used loosely and interchangeably despite their different theoretical foundations.

Social classes—hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures—are social groups arising from interdependent economic relationships among people. These relationships are governed by the social structure as expressed in the customs, values, and expectations concerning property distribution, ownership, and labor and their connections to production, distribution, and consumption of goods, services, and information. Hence, social classes are essentially shaped by the relationships and conditions of employment of people in the society and not by the characteristics of individuals. These class relationships are not symmetrical but include the ability of those with access to resources such as capital to economically exploit those who do not have access to those resources.

Unlike social class, social status involves the idea of a hierarchy or ranking based on the prestige, honor, and reputation accorded to persons in a society. Societal sources for attribution of status, that is, a relative position in the social ladder, are diverse but chiefly concern access to power, knowledge, and economic resources.

Both social class and social status can be regarded as representations of social position. Yet a growing body of knowledge from research on health inequalities indicates a need to consider a more comprehensive socioeconomic classification that can include class, status, and material asset measures, collectively referred to as socioeconomic position. This term is increasingly being used in epidemiology as a generic term that refers to the social and economic factors that influence which positions individuals or groups will hold within the structure of a society. Socioeconomic position is one dimension of social stratification and, as such, is an important mechanism through which societal resources and goods are distributed to and accumulated over time by different groups in the population.

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