This study focuses on upward social mobility, examining the perceived levels of social mobility among youth and presenting research results estimated through data analysis. The study also suggests future directions and implications for research on youth and social mobility, comprehensively exploring education mobility, a topic that has been highlighted in the field of educational sociology and occupational mobility, as well as recent issues related to and asset mobility. Firstly, the study looked at perceptions directly related to social mobility, revealing that negative views on social mobility have been increasing across all age groups, especially among the youth. Research results indicate a diminishing influence of family background on education and occupational mobility in the parent and child generations. This is attributed to the rapid increase in educational attainment and changes in the occupational structure in South Korea. The difference between perception and reality regarding social mobility stems from the issue of time lag. This is because the analysis of social mobility tends to address long-term changes between parent and child generations, while perceptions of social mobility focus on changes that have occurred over the past few years. On the other hand, it is pointed out that the nature of inequality may vary depending on the analysis of the type of mobility, whether in education or occupational movement, transitioning into asset mobility. In this context, the study suggests the need for research on asset mobility and provides policy implications.