Race, social class, and traditionalism

A traditionalism score was computed for white MIDUS Study participants based on the following items: endorses high moral standards; endorses religious values and institutions; expresses positive regard for parents; endorses strict child-rearing practices; values conventional propriety and a good reputation; opposes rebelliousness and unrestricted freedom of expression; condemns selfish disregard of others.

The following list displays the means by sex and social class (sample size = 3,976):

Mean traditionalism score 

Men
Low 8.24*
Middle 8.00*
High 7.20

Women
Low 8.82*
Middle 8.21*
High 7.70

*significantly higher than high-status men

Except for high-status women, all categories have significantly higher means than high-status men.  The gap between low- and high-status men is about half of a standard deviation (sd)--a fairly large difference. Same with the gap for low- and high-status women. Lower class folks are definitely more traditional. Notice how women are as well.

Let's look at racial means next:

Mean traditionalism score

Men
White 8.06
Black 8.61
Amerindian 8.57
Asian 6.57
Mexican 8.14

Women

White 8.57*
Black 9.22*
Amerindian 8.50
Asian 7.19
Mexican 8.69

*significantly higher than white males

Sample sizes for minority groups are small, so there are few significant differences. The means for white men and black women are significantly different, however, with a fairly large gap of one-half of an sd. Traditionalism is more pronounced among the socially lower orders.

The heritability of traditionalism, by the way, is estimated to be 60 percent.

Social class and social potency

A social potency score was calculated for MIDUS Study participants based on the following items: is forceful and decisive; is persuasive and likes to influence others; enjoys or would enjoy leadership roles; enjoys being noticed, being the center of attention. Here are the means by sex and social class:

Mean social potency score

Males (n = 443)
Low 9.68*
Middle 10.19*
High 10.63*

Females (n = 745)
Low 8.86
Middle 9.69*
High 10.09*

*significantly higher than low-status females

All groups are significantly more socially potent than lower-class women. The mean for high-status men is more than four-tenths of an standard deviation (sd) higher than the mean for low-status men--a moderate difference. And the gap between low- and high-status women is also of moderate size--one-half of an sd.

According to this study, the heritability of social potency is 55 percent.

So folks from higher classes are more dominant than others. Just like the last post about high-status people being more driven, this is no surprise. But to extreme nurturists (i.e., just about every professor I ever had) where you end up in the stratification system has little or nothing to do with innate abilities or personality traits. IQ is only a proxy for parents' social class. People are chameleons who adopt the personality of their social position.   

Social class and achievement

Much of this blog is a response to egalitarian social scientists. According to them, where people end up in life is due to external circumstances. Many of them chafe even at the idea that beliefs and values make a difference because those are too internal. You blame the victim when you argue that he is poor because he holds counterproductive attitudes. 

It is obvious to anyone except an ideologue that much of our lives is determined from the inside. I often focus on evidence that racial differences can largely be explained by internal factors, and I do that because that's what many of my peers obsess on. I haven't paid much attention to social class since my peers don't. They did 75 years ago when the object of compassion was a white laborer, but he has now been turned into a privileged person. He rides triumphantly on the shoulders of others because of his skin privilege.  

Class differences within races should not be ignored, however, because they are a central part of how members of society are stratified. And, as HBD-ers strongly suspect, the differences are created in significant part by the distribution of internal characteristics. 

Having said that, an achievement score was calculated for white MIDUS Study participants based on the following characteristics:  works hard; drives self; enjoys working hard; welcomes difficult and demanding tasks; persists where others give up; is ambitious; puts work and accomplishment before many other things; sets high standards; is a perfectionist. 

Here are the mean scores listed by sex and one's current social class:


Mean achievement score (sample size = 1,187)

Men
Low 11.07
Middle 12.25*
High 12.46*

Women
Low 11.09
Middle 11.89*
High 12.11*

*significantly higher than low-status men

High- and middle-class women have signficantly higher scores than low-class men. The mean for high-status men is six-tenths of a standard deviation higher than that of low-status men--a fairly large difference.  

Acording to this study, heritability for achievement is .72.

Notice how middle-class men are more driven than high-class women.