Xing-Yu Long’s research while affiliated with Nanjing Normal University and other places

Recent research has highlighted the crucial role of employment in social mobility amid growing concerns about social solidification and the expanding wealth gap. This study investigates whether university students from upper social status, characterized by a pronounced inclination towards social dominance, prefer occupations that monopolize resources and perpetuate social inequalities. Results indicated that students from higher socioeconomic status exhibited elevated levels of social dominance orientation and favoured occupational values that prioritize elite interests over those that benefit the underprivileged. The second study analysed the actual occupational choices of 169 university students from diverse social backgrounds. A pilot study involving 44 participants identified occupations that either enhance or attenuate social hierarchies. Subsequent regression and mediation analyses revealed that students from more affluent backgrounds showed a marked preference for occupations that enhance social hierarchies and exhibited less interest in occupations that attenuate them. Social dominance orientation was identified as a mediating factor in this relationship. These findings offer new insights into the mechanisms of social mobility and solidification, highlighting the importance of understanding how occupational choices shape, and are shaped by, broader societal structures and their implications for social equity.