Lee Elliot Major on the areas bucking the trend of low mobility

Sadly where you happen to be born, rather than the talents you have, all too often determines how well you get on in the world. But up until now the power of place has never been so clearly demonstrated by hard data. Figures from both sides of the Atlantic have revealed in more detail than ever before what we all intuitively know: where you live has a profound impact on your educational and life chances.

The statistics provide the first detailed maps of social mobility levels within the UK and US – by city, state, or political constituency. In the past the Sutton Trust has had to rely on country comparisons to tease out differences in the hope of finding ways of improving social mobility (hence the obsession with all things Scandinavian). This new landscape however could provide much sharper clues for policy makers. What is both surprising and potentially illuminating is just how stark the differences in social mobility levels are for apparently similar areas.

With the American dream (or lack of it) likely to be a theme of the US elections in 2016, leading politicians have been pouring over powerful research by academics from Harvard and Berkeley universities showing how upward mobility for children from the poorest fifth of households varies considerably across regions in the US. The study prompts an immediate question: “why do some communities, frankly, have more ladders for opportunity than others?” as Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton put it after meeting the academics.

As the map here from the US study shows, in some cities, including Pittsburgh, Seattle, and New York, your chances of climbing the income ladder are on a par with some of the most socially mobile countries in the world. For others however such as Atlanta and Memphis levels of mobility are depressingly low. Lighter colours in the map represent regions of higher mobility, darker colours lower mobility. The interactive map can be found here.

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Why?  The academics conclude that these patterns can not be explained simply by how poor different cities are, but point to some key characteristics associated with better life chances for poorer children. Regions where poor families make up entire neighborhoods have lower upward mobility levels than regions in which poor families live in mixed-income neighborhoods. Upward mobility is higher in regions with higher concentrations of two-parent families. Perhaps most unsurprisingly of all, mobility is associated with areas where there are better schools.

These results chime with those produced by the Sutton Trust this month as the UK readies itself for the General Election on May 7th. The map below shows the results of the first Social Mobility Index. The index ranks all 533 parliamentary constituencies in England according to five measures of social mobility through education. Looking at outcomes from the early years through to school results and entry into professional life, the data show how well each constituency is doing in improving prospects for their most disadvantaged young people. In this map, darker colours represent regions of higher mobility, while lighter colours highlight lower mobility. An interactive version can be found here.

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What resonates with the US study is that despite having a high proportion of young people from disadvantaged homes, the capital can claim high levels of social mobility with 30 of the top 50 constituencies in Greater London. Three out of five young people in Westminster North are classed as disadvantaged, making it the fourth most deprived area in England. Yet it tops the social mobility rankings.

The capital’s dominance in our index likely has something to do with its schools. Once falling behind, they’re now ahead of the national average. What is more the educational differences between areas is stark: in some constituencies poorer children are ten times as likely to do well at the end of primary school as those in other areas.

The link between better life chances and a good education may all seem blindingly obvious. But in academic circles it has been questioned. These latest studies help to confirm that link, and also offer policy makers lots of shining examples of areas in our own countries bucking the trend of low mobility. Any future UK or US Government would be well advised to have a closer look now that the mobility maps are available. The answers to improving social mobility across our nations may lie on our doorsteps.

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