Social Class and Adolescents' Beliefs about Justice in Different Social Orders

We report on the justice beliefs of 4508 adolescents from 4 security societies in transition to market economies (i.e., Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Russia) and from 2 opportunity societies (Australia and the United States). Using a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), justice beliefs were examined as a function of type of society, social class, and gender. In the security societies, working‐class teens wanted the state and schools to provide a safety net, while middle‐class teens preferred that schools promote student autonomy and competition but also reported the most negative school climates of any group. In the opportunity societies, working‐class youth believed success was based on individual merit, while middle class youth expressed more doubt about this connection .