In many OECD-countries, we witness an increase in social-inequalities (OECD 2017). Among them Germany, with a growing wage-gap and growing differences in living conditions between rather privileged and unprivileged people (BMAS 2016, 67, 77). How does this increasing social inequality affect educational aspirations and job perspectives of young people in Germany? The study utilises data of the Shell Youth Survey 2015, which is based on a representative random sample of 2558 young people between 12 and 25 years from the sixteen federal states in Germany. They were personally interviewed (CAPI) about their living situations, attitudes and perceived perspectives. The survey ran from early January to mid-March 2015 using a standard questionnaire (Albert et al. 2015). Results: We will present data about extend living-conditions, attitudes and perspectives of young people in Germany statistically depend on their socio-economic background. We find decreasing confidence regarding educational and vocational goals among young people with lower socio-economic status. Furthermore, there are signs of an increasing impact of social origin concerning educational and vocational perspectives. For example: young people with lower socio-economic status remain significantly less confident about the feasibility of their career hopes than young people from higher socio-economic status (46% to 81%). Hence, young people with higher socio-economic status have a 1.76 higher chance to feel confident about their future. In 2002 differences between young people with higher and lower socio-economic status were existent, too, but still much less pronounced (1.38 to 1).

Albert, K. Hurrelmann, G. Quenzel, & TNS Infratest Sozialforschung (Hrsg.) (2015): Jugend 2015. 17. Shell Jugendstudie. Frankfurt am Main: Fischer. BMAS - Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales (2016): Lebenslagen in Deutschland. Der Fünfte Armuts- und Reichtumsbericht der Bundesregierung. Available: www.armuts-und-reichtumsbericht.de/ OECD (2017): Income distribution. OECD Social and Welfare Statistics. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/data-00654-en.