Indicators Of Social Status Research Articles

Do birds singing the same song flock together? A mixed-method study on language as a tool for changing social homophily in primary schools in Flanders (Belgium)

The characteristics of a school’s pupil population determine the boundaries within which friendships can grow at school, as pupils tend to develop friendships with others that are similar to them. This is an example of social homophily. Since language is an indicator of social status and identity, we aim at finding out whether it is a basis for social homophily. This study investigates what the effects of linguistic diversity on same-language friendships are for both multilingual pupils and pupils from Dutch-only homes and whether tolerant practices towards multilingualism impact friendship patterns. To get a deeper understanding of the context in which friendships develop, we examine pupils’ perception of the language hierarchies in their school as well. We use a mixed-method design. The quantitative data analyzed in this article originate from a teacher and pupil survey in 67 primary schools in three highly diverse regions in Flanders during the 2012–2013 school year. The qualitative data have been gathered in two focus groups in which 24 pupils of the same school participated. Stepwise multilevel modeling showed that for multilingual pupils, a negative effect of tolerant practices towards multilingualism on same-language friendships existed, while linguistic diversity was of lesser importance. For pupils from Dutch-only homes, linguistic diversity had a negative effect on the number of same-language friendships and tolerance did not matter for friendship patterns. The insignificant effect of tolerance in pupils from Dutch-only homes can be explained by the strong dominance of Dutch, which the qualitative analysis also revealed.

Two hundred years of occupational epidemiology in Norway

-

The Latin Americanization Thesis: An Expectation States Approach

The Latin Americanization thesis posits that the racial hierarchy in the United States is now composed of Whites, Honorary Whites, and Collective Blacks, with skin tone being the primary determinant of one’s placement within this tripartite system of social status. Extant research mostly examines this approach at the macro level; relatively little is known about the thesis at the micro level. By examining goal-oriented task groups, our experiment tests whether Whites exhibit transitive levels of influence, a behavioral indicator of social status, in a manner consistent with this three-tier system. Furthermore, with applications of graph-theoretic models from status characteristics and status cue theories, we assess the social psychological mechanisms buttressing the proposed racial hierarchy by comparing propositions from four theories put forth by scholars of race/ethnicity (we translate their propositions into graphs and mathematical calculations). In so doing, we pose the question: In our experimental setting, which matters more, skin tone or ethnic background, or do both have equal effects on behavior? Our results support the purported racial hierarchy of the Latin Americanization thesis. On average, Whites were influenced the most by White confederates; Whites were influenced less by their light-skinned Latino/a confederates, and even less by dark-skinned Latino/a confederates. Model fit statistics for the propositions translated into graphs and values demonstrate that ethnic distinctions and skin tone are independent stratifiers in the form of status characteristics. This finding supports the notion that skin tone and ethnic background have the equivalent capacity to invoke processes to create the tripartite system of racial/ethnic inequality.

Farmers' Preference for Farming: Evidence From a Nationally Representative Farm Survey in India

Using data from a nationally representative farm survey in India, we have analyzed Indian farmers' stated preference for farming as a profession. Findings show that more than 40% of farmers dislike farming as a profession because of low profits, high risk, and lack of social status, yet they continue with it owing to a lack of opportunities outside agriculture. Farmers who express a preference for moving out of agriculture are mostly those with small landholdings, poor irrigation facilities, fewer productive assets including livestock, and follow a cereal‐centric cropping pattern. They also have relatively lower access to credit, insurance, and information, and are weakly integrated with social networks such as self‐help groups and farmers' organizations. Importantly, the disinclination for farming, conditional on other covariates, is not significantly differentiated by caste, an important indicator of social status in rural India. Yet, within a caste group, the dislike for farming moderates with larger landholdings.

Social inequalities in BMI trajectories: 8-year follow-up of the Pró-Saúde study in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In a cohort of government employees in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, we investigated prospectively, sex-specific associations between education and BMI trajectories and their potential effect modification by race. Of the 4030 participants in Phase 1 (1999), 3253 (81 %) participated in Phase 2 (2003) and 3058 (76 %) participated in Phase 3 (2006). Education was categorized as elementary, high school or college graduate. Study participants self-identified as White, Black or Pardo. BMI was calculated from measured weight and height. BMI trajectories were modelled using a generalized additive regression model with mixed effects (GAMM). The Pro-Saúde Study, a longitudinal investigation of social determinants of health. Women (n 1441) and men (n 1127) who participated in the three phases of data collection and had complete information for all study variables. Women and men with less than high school, or only a high school education, gained approximately 1 kg/m(2) more than college graduates (women: 1·06 kg/m(2) (P<0·001) and 1·06 kg/m(2) (P<0·001), respectively; men: 1·04 kg/m(2) (P=0·013) and 1·01 kg/m(2) (P=0·277), respectively). For women only, race was independently associated with weight gain. Women identifying as Pardo or Black gained 1·03 kg/m(2) (P=0·01) and 1·02 kg/m(2) (P=0·10), respectively, more than Whites. No effect modification by race was observed for either men or women. While both lower education and darker race were associated with greater weight gain, gender similarities and differences were observed in these associations. The relationship between weight gain and different indicators of social status are therefore complex and require careful consideration when addressing the obesity epidemic.

Major issues for biking revival in urban China

China, the former Kingdom of bicycle, is reviving city cycling. Over 100 city governments have invested in public bike systems. Can this government endeavor reverse the declining trend of cycling in urban transportation? Reviewing city governments' bike strategies, the quality of bike infrastructure, and popular ideas for biking planning, we identify three issues. First, the government strategy for bike revival has focused on subsidizing public bike systems, with too few programs and policies to encourage private bike usage. The result is a shift of cyclists from private bike usage to public bike systems. Second, biking infrastructure, including quantity and quality of bike lanes and bike parking, are significantly under-supplied or insufficiently invested. Third, the perception of automobile as an indicator of higher social status persists, even in communities where cycling is the majority mode. Biking revival requires a better cognition of cyclists' right of way by planning professionals and the society at large.

“The University for the Poor”: Portrayals of Class in Translated Children's Literature

Background Scholars of children's literature have been investigating portrayals of females and racial groups for several decades, yet few have examined depictions of social class. Research on social class depictions in children's literature is needed in order to identify books that affirm children's class identities and offer portrayals of socioeconomic diversity. Focus of the Study This study investigates portrayals of social class in 35 titles receiving the Batchelder Award or Honor between 2001 and 2013. The Batchelder Award recognizes outstanding translated books with international origins. International books for children were selected in this study because American titles are thought to be middle class in orientation; the researchers hypothesized that the international books might provide a more complex analysis of social class. Research Design The inductive approach to qualitative content analysis was utilized. At least two researchers read and coded each book in the sample. The researchers examined passages referencing social class as well as other cultural constructs such as race/ethnicity, gender, religion, and nationality. Findings The researchers identified several markers that served as indicators of social class status: living conditions, food, safety and protection, healthcare, leisure, education, occupation, residence, speech and mannerisms, clothing/dress, death rituals, and material possessions. Social class was often associated with other identities such as a character's religion or ethnicity. Characters from typically marginalized class groups, such as the poor and the working class, were portrayed sensitively and with dignity. Conclusions The markers of class identified in this study may serve as a framework for other researchers interested in examining class in children's literature or media. The findings may help teachers and teacher educators identify and select books that realistically and respectfully portray members of different social classes.

Improving health literacy for weight management in overweight or obese non-English speaking migrants in primary health care: A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative data

Objectives: Despite the need to develop effective strategies for improving health literacy for weight management in non-English speaking migrants, the evidence about the impact of ethnicity on health literacy remains poorly understood. This review sought to understand how ethnicity modifies the effect of interventions aimed at improving health literacy for weight management in non-English speaking migrants and whether these interventions impact on behavioural and physiological risk factors. Design: We conducted a systematic review. Major electronic databases were searched using keywords in various combinations. Eligibility criteria included quantitative and qualitative studies, among non-English speaking adult migrants, who were overweight or obese, in primary health care. Results: A total of 10 studies met the inclusion criteria (four quantitative and six qualitative studies) mostly with Hispanic population in the USA and none of high quality. The mean age of the participants was 45. BMI and indicators of social status, including income and education were not consistently reported in all the studies. Conclusion: Interventions that are culturally adapted to their target group, incorporate both nutrition and physical activity education, and delivered by a multidisciplinary tea, were proven to be successful in improving health literacy and weight in overweight or obese non-English speaking migrants. It was difficult to tease out the effect of ethnicity on these interventions. Ethnicity was found to be a barrier and facilitator for improving health literacy for weight management by shaping beliefs, attitudes, and understanding around weight management in this group. More research is needed to develop evidence-based interventions to improve health literacy and weight in non-English speaking migrants.

Social factors in childhood and risk of depressive symptoms among adolescents-a longitudinal study in Sweden

Background Depression affects many aspects of life and is increasing among adolescents. Not much is known concerning social differences in risk of depressive symptoms among adolescents in welfare states, were social differences could be thought of as less pronounced. The aim was to study whether indicators of low social status of the family are associated with depressive symptoms in adolescence, in Sweden. Methods Participants were recruited in 1998 from 118 schools in Stockholm County and …

FUNCTIONS OF HIGHER PROFESSIONAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION

The article is about the functions of professional higher education dealing with the sphere of foreign languages (FL). There are all indications that these functions are mainly determined by the higher education objectives, the dominating role that foreign languages play in modern society and politics. The analysis of existing linguistic concepts (up to the ХХ-th century) as well as the current state of FL educational system, testifies to the fact that a number of urgent and indispensable changes are needed. The desirable transformations are aimed to amplify the contents of the functional burden of professional FL education. According to the provisions of the latest state standards, the transmission to new paradigms of thinking is primarily provided by the innovation modus, that is intended to steadily develop sociocultural technologies, improve the contents of FL education, increase the effectiveness of students' achievements, work out a new system of monitoring, controlling and assessing academic results. However, multi-media techniques and strategies should be associated with the anthropological paradigm, capable of driving in motion the "front-running" mechanism of sociocultural reproduction. That means that graduates' FL proficiency, alongside with influence, property and benefit, is becoming the most important indicator of social status in modern society. Consequently, multifunctional FL education is supposed to reflect the formation of axiological values of students, their inner motives and personal attitudes that, being embodied in the creative products of speech, exercise an essential impact on valuable society orientations. Evidently, society is intellectual to an extent it applies knowledge which was accumulated in the cultural gene pool of humanity. It is just through the educational channel that the basic value of culture performs the function of adjusting objective reality to individuals' goals and their meaningful implications. The language conjures a subjective image of the objective world, and in the context of individual approach it does not only mean building one's own trajectory of covering the academic material, but also developing strategies of transforming the world. According to the culture-centred principle, which underlies educational functions, the latter tend to unfold logically in any separate classification of functions.

Social identity and differences in psychological and economic outcomes for mixed and sole-identified Māori

Māori are the indigenous peoples of New Zealand and are culturally and ethnically diverse. Previous research suggests that Māori who identify jointly as European (New Zealand's dominant group) may have improved employment outcomes, income and levels of education relative to those who identify solely as Māori. However, research exploring the broader constellation of factors linked to multiple versus sole-ethnic affiliation for Māori remains scarce. We examine differences in outcomes for Māori depending upon their single versus multiple ethnic affiliation as Māori, Māori/European, or European (but with Māori ancestry) in a national probability sample (N=1416). Results indicated that people who identified jointly at Māori/European expressed political attitudes more aligned with Europeans. However, while Māori/Europeans may be more aligned with other Europeans in terms of support for mainstream political parties and intergroup attitudes, they remained lower on various indicators of social and economic status. In this latter regard, Māori/Europeans reported outcomes more similar to their sole-Māori counterparts.

An evaluation of the discriminant and predictive validity of relative social disadvantage as screening criteria for priority access to public general dental care, in Australia

BackgroundMost public dental care services provide preventive, general dental care on a chronological, first come – first served basis. There is concern about lack of transparency, equity and timeliness in access to public dental services across Australia. Using social determinants as screening criteria is a novel approach to triage in dental care and is relatively untested in the literature. The research evaluated the discriminant and predictive validity of relative social disadvantage in prioritising access to public general dental care.MethodsA consecutive sample of 615 adults seeking general dental care was selected. The validation measure used was clinical assessment of priority. Nine indicators of relative social disadvantage (RSD) were collected: Indigenous status; intellectual disability; physical disability; wheelchair usage; dwelling conditions; serious medical condition; serious medical condition and taking regular medication; hospitalised within 12 months; and, regular medical visits. At the first dental visit, dentists rated care as a priority if treatment was required ≤6 months (PriorityTx) and otherwise non-priority (non-PriorityTx). A standardised dental examination was conducted. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value and area under the ROC curve analyses of 1+ of RSD in predicting clinical priority were calculated.ResultsIn bivariate analyses, one or more indicators of relative social disadvantage status were significantly associated with PriorityTx (P < 0.001; χ2). In multivariate analyses, one or more indicators of relative social disadvantage persisted as an independent predictor of PriorityTx (OR 3.8, 95% CI = 2.6-5.6). Compared with clinicians’ classification of PriorityTx, one or more indicators of relative social disadvantage had a sensitivity of 77.1%, and specificity of 53.3%, together with a positive predictive value of 81.9% and negative predictive value of 46.0%. ROC curve analysis supported one or more indicators of relative social disadvantage as a predictor of greater priority for access to general dental care (0.66).ConclusionsConsiderable heterogeneity exists among persons seeking public general dental care in New South Wales. RSD performs as a valid predictor of priority for access to treatment and acts as valid screening criteria for triaging priority access to treatment. Such indicators may address issues of inequality in access to general public oral health services.

Effects of Stigmatized Identities on Interpersonal Influence and Social Distance

In order to reveal the processes through which status differentiation and stigmatization occur in daily interactions between migrant workers and out-groups, the present study investigated the effects a stigmatized status characteristic had on influence in the interaction and on the social rejection suffered during this process. This is a multiple site experimental study. Participants were 151 undergraduate students from freshman to senior level. The participants included seventy three male students and seventy eight female students in YanTai. In the experiment, the participants cooperated with a fictitious partner through a local area network to answer questions described as measuring "contrast sensitivity ability." On the task, participants had the opportunity to be influenced by the partners. Participants then chose partners for the next period task. In accordance with the different identities of the partners, the study has five conditions that differentiated the participants' partners(all partners were in fact fictitious). In the control condition, the partners are described as male college students just like the participants. In two conditions, the partners are high school students with either a low or high score on an initial contrast sensitivity task. In the remaining two conditions, the partners are migrant workers with either low or high initial test scores. In the study, influence and social distance were the indicators of social status and the degree of stigmatization respectively. Influence was measured as how often participants switched answers to correspond to answers provided by partners, and social distance was measured by whether participants selected the same or a new partner for the future session., The study expects to find out that education level and task ability are status markers that affect influence. It also predicts that migrant workers identity will act as a status marker and stigma, affecting both influence and social distance. The study also predicts that the influence effects of task ability can imply a strategy to decrease the legitimacy of the existing status order. The status measurement results turned out to be that, ① in cooperative tasks, participants in the migrant workers partner group were more inclined to underestimate the partners' performance and were less influenced by them than the participants in control group and low education partner group, ②the participants who found out that their partners were migrant workers and the partners' score were higher than them, referred to the partners' answers more frequently than those who were only informed of their partners' migrant worker identity. The stigma measurement results indicated that, ① participants in the migrant workers partner group obviously intended to keep longer social distance with the partners, than the participants in control group and low education partner group, ② emphasizing partners' significant skills in the task did not decrease the social distance that participants sought from migrant workers. The results indicate that "migrant worker" is a status characteristic and a stigmatized identity that indicates a person's inferior position in the social hierarchy. The low performance expectation and weak influence brought about by status characteristics can be counterpoise and changed by introducing new status characteristics of the partners. However, this method did not attenuate the social distance that accompanies stigma.

Moderate lead exposure and elementary school end-of-grade examination performance

PurposeThis study investigated the association between moderate lead poisoning in early childhood with performance on a comprehensive set of end-of-grade examinations at the elementary school level in two urban school districts. MethodsChildren born between 1996 and 2000 who resided in Milwaukee or Racine, WI, with a record of a blood lead test before the age of 3 years were considered for the analysis. Children were defined as exposed (blood lead level ≥10 and <20 μg/dL) or not exposed (BLL < 5 μg/dL). Parents of eligible children were mailed surveys to consent to participation and elicit information on potential confounders. On consent, children were matched to educational records for fourth grade Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations. Seemingly unrelated regression was used to evaluate the relation between scaled scores on all sections of the examination (math, reading, language arts, science, and social studies) with exposure status, controlling for demographics, social status indicators, health indicators, and district-based poverty indicators. ResultsA total of 1133 families responded to the survey and consented to have educational records released; 43% of children were considered exposed. After controlling for demographic and socioeconomic covariates, lead exposure was associated with significantly lower scores in all sections of the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (range: science, β = −5.21, P = .01; reading, β = −8.91, P = .003). Children who were black, had a parent with less than a high-school education, and were classified by parents as having less than excellent health had significantly lower performance on all examination components. ConclusionsChildren with moderate lead poisoning in early childhood performed significantly lower on all components of elementary school end-of-grade examinations compared with unexposed children. Household level social status and childhood health indicators partially explain decreased examination scores.

The Associations Between Parental Socio-Economic Conditions, Childhood Intelligence, Adult Personality Traits, Social Status and Mental Well-Being

This study explored a longitudinal data set of 5,090 adults examining the associations between parental social status indicators (measured at birth), childhood intelligence (measured at age 11), personality traits, educational achievement and occupational prestige in relation to mental well-being (all measured at age 50). Correlational analysis showed that parental social status indicators and childhood intelligence were significantly associated with all of the big five personality traits (extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and intellect). Parental social status indicators, childhood intelligence, personality traits, education and occupation were all significant correlates of mental well-being. Structural equation modelling showed childhood intelligence was significantly associated with all the five personality traits, and family social status (indicated by parental social class, and paternal and maternal education) was significantly associated with traits intellect, extraversion, and agreeableness. All the five personality traits were significant predictors of mental well-being after taking into account the effects of family social status, childhood intelligence, own education achievement and current occupational prestige. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Fashion Beyond Versailles: Consumption and Design in Seventeenth-Century France by Donna J. Bohanan

précurseurs des notions contemporaines d’inter-pénétrabilité culturelle. Espérons que ce livre, érudit et facile à lire, essentiel pour enseigner cette littérature, fera rééditer des romans difficiles à trouver. Davidson College (NC) Catherine Slawy-Sutton Society and Culture edited by Frederick Toner BOHANAN, DONNA J. Fashion Beyond Versailles: Consumption and Design in SeventeenthCentury France. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 2012. ISBN 978-0-8071-4521-0. Pp. 154. $40. This study looks at objects from the perspective of how they reflect the social evolution of the nobles and elites of Dauphiné, a province located on the outer edge of the seat of power at Versailles and the growing center of commerce in Paris. While researching the local politics, Bohanan came across inventories of household goods owned by wealthy Dauphinois, who were required to submit these legally-mandated lists upon the death of the head-of-household for the purpose of determining the amount of a tax, the taille, owed to the French crown. These inventories, prepared by official notaries between 1668 and 1719, are among the documents kept in Grenoble in the Archives départementales. Over time, the objects in the inventories suggest the desire for upper mobility and distinction, as the elites engaged in furnishing their households with items that went beyond the basic necessities. In chapter 1, “Le Pays, Nobles, Taste, Fashion, and Politics,” Bohanan describes the context in which consumerism was becoming a motivating force. She enriches her discussion by incorporating studies written by other scholars who have researched the indicators of social status in the latter part of the seventeenth century and the early decades of the eighteenth century. The second chapter, “Le Luxe, Splendor, and Luxury,” opens with the question, “How exactly did material culture define elite society at the frontier of France?” (30). The author gives examples of acquired luxury goods and their provenance, such as Turkish rugs and Persian carpets. Some of the notaries described furnishings in detail. Especially interesting are the fancy beds, lit en housse, lit à impériale, and lit à duchesse, all three illustrated with black-and-white sketches (43, 45). Tapestries, typical of earlier centuries, were replaced by paintings, often of a secular subject, such as a stilllife of flowers or the portrait of a distinguished ancestor. Chapter 3, “Régularité, Color Schemes, and Matched Sets,” presents interior design elements that are quite modern in the sense of an effort to create an overall effect. The inventory of the Franquières family lists “eighteen chair covers in crimson damask” and “a twenty-piece set of bed hangings in crimson with gold and silver trim” (68). Bohanan points out that coordinated color schemes and unity of style were evidence of wealth and taste. The fourth chapter, “Commodité, Comforts, Convenience, and Innovation in Furniture and Lighting,” focuses on the practical side of furnishings, especially comfortable chairs. One example is the fauteuil de commodité à crémaillère, which was constructed with a movable device that lowered the back to a reclining position. The sofa was a relative late-comer, not appearing on inventories before the late seventeenth century. “À Table, 1276 FRENCH REVIEW 86.6 Dining, and Sociability,” the fifth and final chapter, is an interesting description of the transition from medieval cooking to the sophisticated menu and dinnerware that are the foundation of modern French cuisine. Drawing on the research of other scholars, Bohanan describes some of the earliest cookbooks and the kitchen utensils in one of the inventories: “stockpots of several sizes, pie or tart dishes, molds for biscuits and pastry” (95) along with several more items for specific uses. The author concludes this chapter by observing that “what these stocks of kitchenware, silver, and linens reveal is that elite families participated in an international culture, based in France, of food snobbery and refined table rituals, all of which was served up in an exclusive and intimate setting” (113). This tradition continues to define France’s reputation for sophisticated, elegant dining. The thirteenpage bibliography offers many interesting studies dealing with French interior design, the concept of luxury, and fine cuisine. This work is a well-researched and fascinating read. Ohio University Lois Vines KEATON, TRICA DANIELLE, T. DENEAN...

Aproximación al estudio del servicio doméstico del alto clero de Murcia durante el siglo XVIII

En la España del Antiguo Régimen, el clero fue un grupo social para el que el servicio doméstico tuvo una importancia capital. Con unos hogares que carecían de núcleo conyugal, siempre necesitaron de criadas y amas que se ocuparan de la casa y también de criados y mozos para las más diversas funciones. Por otra parte, como el número de criados constituía un indicador del elevado status social de que gozaban, se tendía a aumentar lanómina de empleados domésticos. Se va a indagar sobre la realidad del servicio doméstico de los prebendados de Murcia y se van a analizar las relaciones que se creaban. Se comprobará que para muchos criados servir a capitulares fue muy rentable porque les permitió iniciar procesos de movilidad social ascendente.

A contextual approach to social skills assessment in the peer group: Who is the best judge?

Using a contextual approach to social skills assessment in the peer group, this study examined the criterion-related validity of contextually relevant social skills and the incremental validity of peers and teachers as judges of children's social skills. Study participants included 342 (180 male and 162 female) students and their classroom teachers (N = 22) from rural communities. As expected, contextually relevant social skills were significantly related to a variety of social status indicators (i.e., likability, peer- and teacher-assessed popularity, reciprocated friendships, clique centrality) and positive school functioning (i.e., school liking and academic competence). Peer-assessed social skills, not teacher-assessed social skills, demonstrated consistent incremental validity in predicting various indicators of social status outcomes; peer- and teacher-assessed social skills alike showed incremental validity in predicting positive school functioning. The relation between contextually relevant social skills and study outcomes did not vary by child gender. Findings are discussed in terms of the significance of peers in the assessment of children's social skills in the peer group as well as the usefulness of a contextual approach to social skills assessment.

Children Associate Racial Groups With Wealth: Evidence From South Africa

Group-based social hierarchies exist in nearly every society, yet little is known about whether children understand that they exist. The present studies investigated whether 3- to 10-year-old children (N=84) in South Africa associate higher status racial groups with higher levels of wealth, one indicator of social status. Children matched higher value belongings with White people more often than with multiracial or Black people and with multiracial people more often than with Black people, thus showing sensitivity to the de facto racial hierarchy in their society. There were no age-related changes in children's tendency to associate racial groups with wealth differences. The implications of these results are discussed in light of the general tendency for people to legitimize and perpetuate the status quo.

YOUNG ADULT PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDE TOWARD CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION AND POVERTY

This study explores the perception and attitude of young adults toward conspicuous consumption portrayed in mass media and their conception of poverty. Many young adults may not realize the cadre of consumerist ideologies portrayed throughout the culture and mas s media such as buy more, buy newer and improved, buy wants over needs, buy comparatively, buy exclusivel y and buy to prove. In light of such mass media por trayal, young adult consumption habits may reflect unrealis tic ideas about what it means to be poor. This rese arch quantitatively examined the impact of mass media on young adult consumption patterns and sought to determine if there is a relationship between conspicuous cons umption and poverty perception based on portrayals in popular mass media culture. The population for this researc h was primarily college-age student consumers under 25. The findings indicate that young adults view their cons umption as an indicator of class and social status and that mass media portrayal have a significant relationship on their consumption perception.