The Meanings of Occupational Prestige: Reconsideration of the Norc Scale

Many studies have attempted to measure, describe or gauge the relative rankings of different occupations. Specialists in stratification have tried to find the various rungs of the ladder in order to ascertain social mobility patterns. They have sought to understand the bases of choice, eyit, and selfrespect. Of the many studies labelled occupational or occupational evaluation the one conducted in 1947 by the National Opinion Research Center has remained the most influential. But what is being asserted when respondents rate occupations? To answer this we will report on the relation between the ranks of 15 occupations on the NORC scale and the responses of the same respondents to a Semantic Differential form on which the same 15 occupations were used as concepts and were judged on 22 scales of meaning. A modified NORC scale and the Semantic Differential were administered to 337 college students. Of course our empirical results cannot be generalized; however, the study does raise some doubts about the ways in which prestige rating scales had been used in stratification theory.