Social mobility is rarely – if ever – measured by looking at the social and cultural divides between the rich and poor. However, as John Asthana Gibson argues, if the government is serious about their social mobility agenda, it should focus on building our children’s social and cultural capital.
Debates about social mobility – the link between an individual’s socio-economic status and their socio-economic background – often focus on educational and labour market outcomes. Attention tends to be drawn to educational attainment gaps or occupational differences between those born into better and worse-off families and communities.
Also important, but often overlooked, are social and cultural divides between the rich and poor. Young people’s participation in cultural and community activities can improve their educational performance and access to top professions (and, many would argue, is valuable in and of itself). As such, any differences in cultural/community participation, and the cultural capital it generates, should form an important aspect of social mobility.
On this basis, the Social Market Foundation was keen to understand if there have been any changes in cultural participation over time, focusing in particular on the ‘participation gap’ between rich and poor. We used data from the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport’s (DCMS’) Taking Part Survey to look at rates of engagement across a number of different activities, such as attending museums and libraries or engaging in sport and music.
