In a mobility table, what does a value above 1.0 signify?

In a mobility table, what does a value above 1.0 signify?

• A. Sons are more likely to be in the listed occupational category if their fathers are in the left category.
• B. Sons are less likely to be in the listed occupational category if their fathers are in the left category.
• C. There is no association between the categories.
• D. The data are not interpretable.

Answer: (A)

In a mobility table, the numbers in the cells compare how often sons end up in a given occupational category given their father’s category, to how often that would occur if there were no relationship between generations. A value above 1.0 means the son in that father–son pairing is more likely to be in the listed occupational category than would be expected by chance alone. So, it indicates a positive association or persistence across generations for that specific pairing. This is why the statement that sons are more likely to be in the listed occupational category if their fathers are in the left category is the best describes. If the value were below 1, the opposite would be true; if it were exactly 1, there would be no association.

In a mobility table, the numbers in the cells compare how often sons end up in a given occupational category given their father’s category, to how often that would occur if there were no relationship between generations. A value above 1.0 means the son in that father–son pairing is more likely to be in the listed occupational category than would be expected by chance alone. So, it indicates a positive association or persistence across generations for that specific pairing. This is why the statement that sons are more likely to be in the listed occupational category if their fathers are in the left category is the best describes. If the value were below 1, the opposite would be true; if it were exactly 1, there would be no association.