University of Tokyo

Abstract
Survey Number 0759
Survey Title Social Stratification and Social Mobility Survey, 1955
Depositor 2015 SSM Survey Management Committee
Restriction of Use For detailed information, please refer to 'For Data Users' at SSJDA website.

- Apply to SSJDA. SSJDA's approval required.
Educational Purpose Available for both research and instructional purposes.
Period of Data Use Permission One year
Access to Datasets Download
SSJDA Data Analysis Not available
Summary The nationwide survey on Social Stratification and Social Mobility, also known as the SSM Survey, is one of the most traditional large-scale social surveys in Japan, and it has been carried out every ten years since the first survey in 1955 (by The Japan Sociological Society).

This 1955 survey is the first, and it was conducted by a survey committee of The Japan Sociological Society as part of an international collaborative research project of the International Sociological Association (ISA).

In the nationwide SSM Survey of 1955, since data analysis and calculation processing was not well developed at the time of the survey, and since sampling was performed separately for large cities, city areas and county areas, the SSM Trend Analysis Research Group conducted the resampling in 1980-81 to extract the representative sample nationwide from original questionnaires, and also conducted a recoding of status variables including occupation, level of educational attainment and income, as well as variables such as region and occupation aspirations.

The data provided by the SSJ data archive comprise resampled and recoded data.
Data Type quantitative research
quantitative research: micro data
Universe Males aged 20 to 69 years
Unit of Observation Individual
Sample Size Sample size: 4,500, number of responses: 3,677 (response rate: 81.71%)
Number of sampled data after resampling: 2,014
Date of Collection 1955-07-01 ~ 1955-07-01
1955/07/01
Time Period 1955 ~ 1955
Spatial Unit Japan
Japan
Sampling Procedure Probability: Systematic random
Probability: Stratified
Probability: Multistage
Sampling method: multistage stratified sampling/equal interval sampling
Sampling roster: voter registration list
Mode of Data Collection Face-to-face interview
Investigator The Survey Committee of The Japan Sociological Society
DOI 10.34500/SSJDA.0759
Sponsors (Funds)
Related Publications (by the Investigator)
Related Publications (based on Secondary Analysis) List of related publications (based on Secondary Analysis)
Documentation [Questionnaire]
Major Survey Items <Note: (*) represents (occupation type, industry, scale of business/landlord or landed tenant, employment related status, acreage of cultivation>
- Age, place of birth
- Heir
- Relationship to head of household
- Highest level of educational attainment
- Current occupation
- (*)
- Age at the time of employment
- Employment history
- Occupation type, industry, employment related status, age at the time of employment, age at the time of leaving the job
- Reasons for changing jobs
- Occupation desired
- Level of job satisfaction
- Number of people in household
- Father’s place of birth, highest level of educational attainment
- Father’s longest-held occupation/father’s occupation at the time of respondent’s first job/father’s occupation when he had the highest title in his work life
- (*)
- Grandfather’s place of birth
- Grandfather’s occupation
- (*)
- Marital status
- Wife’s place of birth, highest level of educational attainment
- Wife’s occupation before marriage, current occupation
- (*)
- Wife’s father’s longest-held occupation, wife’s father’s occupation when he had the highest title in his work life
- (*)
- Presence of son
  - Age of eldest son(heir),his highest level of educational attainment, current occupation
- Occupation for the eldest son respondent desires
- Respondent’s income, household income
- Property held
- Stratum identification
  - Municipality, Japanese society, father, grandfather, before the war, after the war
- Class identification
- Criteria for status and position
  - Occupation, highest level of educational attainment, income, lineage, fame, property, other
- Evaluation of occupation
- Social attitude
- Customary practice
- Party supported
Date of Release 2011/08/31
Topics in CESSDA Click here for details

Equality, inequality and social exclusion
Social and occupational mobility
Social behaviour and attitudes
Topics in SSJDA Society/Culture
Version 1 : 2011-08-31
Notes for Users Variable and value labels are written in Japanese.