A Cluster Analysis of Home Index Status Items

Abstract

A “Home Index” set of 22 items for assessing socioeconomic status was first described in 1949- Although the implications of total score on the items have been previously examined, the internal dimensionality of the series has not yet been established. A cluster analysis of the item matrix was therefore conducted, using 1,379 student protocols drawn from 14 high schools. Four clusters were identified: social status, ownership, socio-civic involvement, and aesthetic involvement. Intercorrelation of clusters in new samples of 379 males and 383 females yielded coefficients ranging from .21 to .38, with median of 28. Scores were also related to scholastic achievement, intellectual ability, and father's occupation, and normative data from a sample of 2,284 Ss were presented.