But I think intergenerational social mobility speaks to most people's definition of fairness.

An important CentreForum report on this issue in 2006 concluded: 'the rate of intergenerational social mobility has stabilised at levels in the UK that are unacceptable'.

He said "intergenerational social mobility is the principal objective of the coalition's social policy".

Factors that enhance such vulnerability include racial discrimination, location, and changes in the economy that have made it harder for intergenerational mobility.

A higher level of intergenerational mobility is often considered a sign of greater fairness, or equality of opportunity, in a society.

Their results show that states that have the highest government spending for programs such as Welfare and education spending have the highest levels of intergenerational mobility.

There is an ongoing debate as to whether intergenerational mobility is affected by industrialization.

These data indicate the difficulty of upward intergenerational mobility.

In fact, of affluent countries studied, only Britain and Italy have lower intergenerational mobility than the United States does.

Studies have also found "a clear negative relationship" between income inequality and intergenerational mobility.