Network Position Affects Social Status in Early Adolescence

Abstract

ABSTRACT Does position in the friendship network affect social status in early adolescence? Previous research shows that friendship relations are not equivalent to popularity hierarchies, but favorable positions in the friendship network should allow students to gain status. We use four waves of longitudinal network data and dynamic panel models with fixed effects to estimate the impact of network position on social status. Degree centrality and brokerage opportunity both exert large impacts on status, even compared against the effect of prior status. The results suggest future research on friendship across social identities, as well as network structure and hierarchy in adolescent social systems.