A student is anxious about finding employment after graduation. According to C. Wright Mills, when would this concern most clearly become a social issue?

When the concern affects a large number of similarly placed young people.

The correct answer is option 2: When the concern affects a large number of similarly placed young people.

C. Wright Mills argued that a personal trouble becomes a social issue when it reflects a condition affecting large numbers of people rather than a single individual. A student's worry about getting a job is a personal trouble. However, if many young people face the same difficulty because of wider economic or social conditions, the problem can no longer be understood only at the individual level. It then becomes a social issue.

Other Options:

Option 1: When the student's family also shares the concern. Incorrect. The concern remains confined to a small group. A social issue involves larger sections of society.

Option 3: When the concern continues for a long period of time. Incorrect.  A problem does not become a social issue simply because it lasts for a long time. A student may remain worried about employment for months or even years, but the concern would still be a personal trouble if it relates only to that individual. Sociology distinguishes personal troubles from social issues on the basis of their social scale and underlying causes, not their duration. The key question is whether the problem reflects a wider condition affecting large numbers of people.