ABSTRACT
In current sociological literature the relationship between social inequality and patterns of cultural taste and consumption is the subject of a large and complex debate. This paper starts by outlining the leading positions that have been taken up in this debate, and then presents some illustrative findings from a research programme in which the authors are currently engaged. These findings are used chiefly as the basis for a critical evaluation of the rival positions that have been set out, although they may also be of interest in their own right. In addition, attention is drawn to the methodology on which the paper rests. Although this may appear somewhat daunting, at least to readers who lack a statistical background, it is, we would argue, only by following such an approach that the issues with which we are concerned can be adequately addressed.
