We examine whether economic downturns are linked to the distribution of population income giving rise to an observed “middle class squeeze.” We test this hypothesis using a novel and unique dataset using the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) and allowing us to construct alternative definitions of middle class, such as income‐based measures, including labor income based, and perceived measures from the Integrated Values Study (IVS). Our findings suggest that, although recessions are not consistently correlated with middle class squeeze overall, the more unanticipated shocks resulting from the Great Recession show consistently through several definitions, a negative and robust conditional correlation. Furthermore, we find that recessions are positively correlated with the share of the population that regards itself as “middle class.” Estimates are heterogeneous to the baseline unemployment at the time of a recession, country spending on social protection, to middle class measures and definitions.

中文翻译：

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经济衰退是否“挤压了中产阶级”？

我们研究了经济衰退是否与人口收入分配有关，从而导致观察到的“中产阶级挤压”。我们使用卢森堡收入研究（LIS）使用新颖独特的数据集检验了这一假设，并允许我们构建中产阶级的替代定义，例如基于收入的衡量标准（包括基于劳动收入的收入）和综合价值研究中的感知衡量标准（ IVS）。我们的发现表明，尽管衰退与总体上与中产阶级的紧缩并不总是相关的，但大衰退所带来的更令人意外的冲击通过几个定义始终如一地显示出来，即负相关和稳健的条件相关。此外，我们发现衰退与认为自己是“中产阶级”的人口比例成正相关。