Residential inequality and social class perceptions: a case study of the Tokyo metropolitan area

This study investigates how inequalities in the Tokyo metropolitan area shape residents’ perceptions of social class. I focus on two aspects of social class perceptions: images of social structure (ISS) and subjective social status (SSS). Given that these two aspects are direct perceptions of social structure, the rapid increase in income inequality and polarization that have developed in the Tokyo area in recent years may have significantly affected ISS and SSS. However, the relationship has not yet been fully examined. Using data from the Tokyo Metropolitan Area Residents 2016 survey, the Stratification and Social Psychology Survey 2010 (SSPI-2010), and the Social Stratification and Social Mobility (SSM) surveys conducted in 1985 and 2015 (ages 20–69), I employ logistic and multilevel regression models. The results show that the ISS of Tokyo residents is significantly more non-egalitarian than that observed in both past and contemporary Japan. Additionally, SSS is strongly influenced by neighborhood-level income. The findings further reveal a robust link between ISS and SSS: individuals who perceive society as pyramid-shaped tend to report lower SSS, even after controlling for individual socioeconomic characteristics.