Who feels marginalized? A latent class analysis of perceived societal marginalization

Abstract

Previous research has followed a binary perspective in analyzing the effects of modernization and globalization, often assumed to produce the societal camps of both “winners” and “losers” in economic, cultural, and political terms. However, our understanding of these individual differences and the social groups that perceive themselves as disadvantaged by society is still limited. Hence, in contrast to previous findings we argue that the phenomenon may be better grasped by following a “pattern approach.” Hence, in three different samples (total N = 2,566), we applied Latent Class Analysis to investigate subgroups representing individual differences in Perceived Societal Marginalization (PSM). Furthermore, we explored sociodemographic, personal-resource-related, attitudinal, and personality determinants of people’s class membership probabilities to better understand the subgroups—or: patterns—we identified in substantive terms. In the discussion, we focus on the implications of our findings regarding societal cleavages, prejudice toward minority groups, and the support of far-right political parties.