Sixty-six Nigerian and 120 U.S. rural children and adolescents (ages 6-18) from three social classes were interviewed about their conceptions of economic inequality. The rich and poor were described referring to central (traits, thoughts) and sociocentric (class consciousness, life chances) characteristics. Age was a factor in change of type of response given. Differences between rich and poor were increasingly described by U.S. children using central responses while inconsistency of response was evident among Nigerians. Nigerians described similarities less diversely than those in the United States. Diverse responses were given to explain inequalities in wealth. Nigerians and older U.S. students emphasized personal effort as a means to upward social mobility. Younger U.S. subjects used definitional criteria to justify wealth while older subjects gave diverse responses. Nigerians tended to justify wealth on the basis of personal effort. Findings were interpreted in terms of cognitive developmental, functionalist, and conflict theories. Tentative curriculum implications are presented. (A discussion of the responses to 12 questions asked the students are given. A bibliography of 29 sources is included.) (Author/PPB)