Studies of the social background of elites indicate that their members are drawn largely from a small upper stratum of the population but it cannot simply be assumed that they will automatically represent the interests of that stratum.
Nor can it be assumed that if their social origins were representative the population as whole, elites would represent the interests of all groups in society. However, some elite theorists and Marxists have argued that inferences which support their respective theories can draw from studies of the social background of elites.