本研究以潛在類别分析方法来瞭解台灣社會的階級認同結構。分析資料来自1997年“台灣社會變遷基本調查”三個以不同方式詢問階級認同的题項。這三個题項除了可供選擇的階級類别不同外，其中一题没有“劳工陪极”的答項。研究結果發现台灣的階級認同結構包括六個潛在階級認同類别。其中五個類别可分别命名爲：潛在中上、潛在中層、潛在中下、潛在工人，以及潛在下層等階級。第六個潛在類别則與無清楚階級認同意議者有關。由於在榮力市場及工作場所的不同經驗，男性與女性受訪者的潛在階級認同結構有所不同。客颧階級及身份位置對於男性與女性的階級認同，也有不同的影響力。依據研究發现，本研究建議設計主颧階級認同的题項，應該提供“榮工階級”的答項供受訪者選擇。勞工階級的認同者主要爲目前正參與勞力市場，且其職業技術層級爲非技術工、技樣工與服務工作人員。

This paper uses latent class analysis to discuss three measures of class identification from the 1997 Taiwan Social Change Survey. The three measures differ in terms of number of offered class labels and the presence of a "working class" selection. The data indicate that the latent structure of subjective class identification is comprised of five subjective classes and a category of people with no clear class awareness. The five subjective classes are latent upper-middle class, latent middle class, latent lower-middle class, latent working class, and latent lower class. Different labor market and workplace experiences, objective classes, and status positions tend to generate different perceptions between men and women regarding social class positions. The findings suggest that a "working class" category should be included in surveys meant to measure subjective class identification, since it has strong connotations of current labor market participation and associations with skilled/unskilled laborers and service workers.