Identifying class structure - A latent class analysis of the criterion-related and construct validity of the Goldthorpe class schema

This paper assesses whether a class structure can be discerned using job characteristics as indicators of class positions derived from employment relations. A structure underlying the distribution of these characteristics is identified using latent class analysis. The relation between this structure and the Goldthorpe class schema is then modelled, allowing an assessment of the latter's criterion-related validity. Both the latent class representation of class structure and Goldthorpe schema are then used to predict a range of outcome measures - vote, earnings, work orientation, class identity, and probability of unemployment - which are expected to vary by class position and which therefore provide a basis for assessing the schema's construct validity. The analysis reveals a class structure defined in terms of groups of individuals that share similar class characteristics and provides evidence that the Goldthorpe schema displays, to a reasonable degree, both criterion-related and construct validity as a measure of this structure. The discussion elaborates on several issues raised by this analysis in particular and by the adoption of validation procedures more generally.