What inclusio’s Data Reveals About Social Mobility and Inclusion

When conversations around social mobility arise, the focus often lands on income, job roles, or access to opportunities. But one key element is frequently overlooked: how individuals perceive their own place in society.

Recent data from inclusio, drawn from confidential self-reports on perceived socio-economic status (SES), paints a compelling picture. It shows that individuals tend to rate their standing in society higher as their level of education increases. This relationship between education and perceived SES isn’t just symbolic—it reveals much about how societies value learning, opportunity, and inclusion.

Examining the data reveals a consistent pattern: As education level increases, so does an individual’s perceived social standing. This link between education and SES perception is more than symbolic—it highlights how society attributes value, not only to learning, but to identity, recognition, and inclusion.

At inclusio, we believe that true inclusion starts with understanding how people experience their place in the world—not just where they work, but where they feel they belong and within society as a whole. Through our platform, employees are invited to confidentially self-report their perceptions of various factors—including socio-economic status (SES)—in a safe, trusted space.

When we connect SES data to education levels, a story unfolds that reaches beyond qualifications and salaries. It becomes a story about how people feel, and what that says about inclusion, opportunity, and belonging.

inclusio Insight 1: A Clear Divide in Perceived Status

Our aggregated, anonymised data shows a significant divide in perceived SES based on education level:

• High school graduates report the lowest perceived SES, significantly lower than all other education groups.

• Vocational and apprenticeship-trained individuals also rate themselves low—no different from high school graduates, despite often holding skilled roles.

This pattern echoes global research showing that perceived status is a strong predictor of mental wellbeing, confidence, and engagement (Kraus & Tan, 2024).

🟦 Inclusion Insight: When certain education routes lead to lower perceived value, the system implicitly says: “you don’t belong at the top.” Inclusion means ensuring all pathways carry dignity.

inclusio Insight 2: Higher Education, Higher Perceived Belonging

Respondents with Bachelor’s, Master’s, Professional, or Doctorate degrees report consistently higher self-rated SES. This is not just about income—it’s about identity.

These insights align with recent findings from IFAU (2023), which show that education has a psychological impact on perceived mobility, shaping how people engage with institutions, employers, and opportunities.

🟦 Inclusion Insight: Access to education boosts not only opportunity but social confidence. Inclusion must account for how people feel about their status, not just what’s on their CV.

inclusio Insight 3: Gaps in Perception = Gaps in Inclusion

When employees perceive themselves as “lower status” based on their education—regardless of their performance or role—they may disengage or hesitate to speak up. This is a silent barrier to inclusion.

Recent psychological research shows that low perceived mobility triggers zero-sum thinking, distrust, and resignation (Kraus & Tan, 2024). inclusio data suggests this perception begins early—often tied to education.

🟦 Inclusion Insight: Inclusion is more than representation. It's about whether people feel valued, respected, and part of the bigger picture.

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Why It Matters: Beyond the Workplace

While inclusio’s insights come from workplace data, the implications reach far beyond HR. Governments, educators, and business leaders all need to ask:

• Are all education paths socially recognised, not just economically useful?

• Do our systems signal value and belonging—or just achievement?

  
  

As the OECD (2022) warns, even strong vocational systems struggle with societal bias toward university pathways. We must close that perception gap if we want real equity.

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Final Thought

At inclusio, we’re not just measuring demographics. We’re measuring perception, identity, and experience—because that’s what true inclusion is built on.

When an employee confidentially tells us how they feel about their social standing, they’re giving us a powerful insight into the human side of mobility.

Inclusion begins when every person, regardless of education path, feels they’ve moved forward—and knows they belong.

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Ready to Measure What Matters?

Talk to our expert team to learn how inclusio’s Scientific Culture Model™ can help you drive change backed by credible data.

References

Kraus, M. W. & Tan, J. J. X. (2024) 'Perceiving Low Social Mobility Induces Zero-Sum Beliefs About Economic Success', Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01461672241290390

IFAU (2023) Education and social mobility. Available at: https://www.ifau.se/globalassets/pdf/se/2023/wp-2023-18-education-and-social-mobility.pdf

OECD (2022) Social mobility and equal opportunity. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/social-mobility-and-equal-opportunity.html

inclusio (2025) Aggregated Perception Data: Socioeconomic Status by Education Level. Global dataset, collected via confidential employee self-reporting on the inclusio platform.

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