What term describes factors such as wealth, religion and occupation that affect lifestyle and life chances?

• A. Social Factors
• B. Intelligence
• C. Cultural Capital
• D. Labelling

Answer: (A)

Social factors are the broad influences in society that shape how people live and what opportunities they have. Wealth affects the resources a person can access—housing, education, healthcare, and leisure—directly influencing lifestyle and life chances. Occupation signals social status, can determine networks and stability, and often shapes daily routines and constraints. Religion can guide norms, community support, and even the kind of opportunities available or discouraged, all of which feed into patterns of living and what a person can realistically achieve. Together, these elements come from how society is organized and where a person sits within it, rather than being about individual attributes or isolated actions.

Intelligence is more about personal cognitive ability and doesn’t capture the structural position that affects opportunities. Cultural capital is related but narrower, focusing on non-financial assets like education, tastes, and cultural knowledge that help navigate society. Labelling concerns how others’ perceptions or rules label someone and affect opportunities, rather than the broader set of structural factors that shape life chances.