Bringing Generalized Status Back in: Cross-National Evidence for a Unidimensional Measure

Abstract This study revisits Haller’s research question concerning the construction and use of a theoretical construct of generalized status. Using principal component analysis and data from 32 societies in the 2009 International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), we create a rank-based measure of generalized socioeconomic status (GSES) that combines four content dimensions of a person’s socioeconomic status—education, occupational status, individual earnings, and household economic resources. We conduct two crucial dimensionality tests to validate the concept of GSES. The results indicate that only the first principal component effectively accounts for the variation and relationships among rank-based status variables. This conclusion is consistent across all 32 societies examined. Using simulated data derived from calibrated models of the status attainment process, we also show that the status attainment process justifies, rather than undermines, the prevalence of a one-dimensional measure of GSES. Our calibrated models produce all the key findings that support the unidimensionality of GSES. We discuss the opportunities for applications and extensions.