The opportunities that people have to improve their lives are known as?

• A. Social capital
• B. Mobility
• C. Opportunity set
• D. Life chances

Answer: (D)

Life chances describe the opportunities people have to improve their lives across key areas like education, work, health, and housing. This concept shows how social structure—such as class, gender, and ethnicity—shapes how likely someone is to access those opportunities.

Social capital refers to the resources you can access through your social networks, not the broad set of life chances itself. Mobility is about actual movement between social positions over time, rather than the overall opportunities available. The opportunity set is the range of options a person could choose from in a given situation, which is more about potential choices than the overall chances to improve life outcomes. Life chances most accurately captures the idea of the opportunities people have to improve their lives, making it the best answer.