Yes, intuitively I'd also expect it to take many generations. But the article's examples - Sweden, Japan (both effects established post-WWII I suppose), the North Carolina district (1990s!) - surprisingly suggest otherwise.
There is still a substantial working class in Sweden, and although the income gap between the social classes is much lower here than elsewhere, the different mindsets are the same as everywhere. I have friends that are working class through and through, even though some of them make about as much money as I do. It's not about standard of living.
In my own case, I can thank our free university system for helping me drag myself from middle class to upper middle class, but then again I started with the middle class sentiment that education is always good. If you're working class, everyone in your environment will tell you that university is a huge waste of time, and I don't know how to address that. Throwing money at it won't do anything.
