Modern Britain divided in 7 main social classes

[Maciamo]

The BBC's Great British Class Survey found that there were seven identifiable social classes in the UK. The new classes bear little resemblance to the traditional divisions in upper, upper-middle, middle, lower-middle and working classes. The new social classes are described like this:

• Elite: Most privileged group, set apart from other classes because of wealth. Highest scoring economically, socially and culturally
• Established middle class: Largest class group and second wealthiest. Also score high culturally and socially
• Technical middle class: Small distinct group that aren't so social but have money and are into emerging culture such as gaming, the internet and rock music
• New affluent workers: A young group, socially and culturally active with middling levels of income
• Traditional working class: Score low economically, socially and culturally but have reasonably high house values and oldest average age
• Emergent service workers: New young urban group who don't have much money but are very social and cultural. They "live for today"
• Precariat: Poorest, most deprived class who score low economically, socially and culturally

Note that these classes are not necessarily ranked in order of wealth, as social and cultural aspects are each given equal weight as money.

You can take the test to determine where you fit best, or would fit best if you were living in Britain.

The survey failed to recognise the two true extremes of society, which could be described as follow:

• Super Elite: that tiny fraction of the population (perhaps 0.1%) that has a tremendous amount of power over the economy and global politics. They are usually multi-millionaires (worth over £100 million). These may be people who own or control large multinational companies, own vast swathes of land, finance political parties, and make things happen behind the scenes. They mostly stick together and do not socialise (much) with ordinary people. Royal Families also fit in that category. Multi-millionaires without true power, like J. K. Rowling or David Beckham, do really not fit in that category, but are closer to the "regular" Elite.
• Underclass: Almost exclusively immigrants or refugees from Third World countries, they are very poorly educated (often illiterate or barely literate) and typically live in squalid conditions. If we were to determine social classes on a world scale, this class would be the largest, making up over half of the population in Africa and South Asia.

[hope]

I must agree with you on the two categories not mentioned, with particular emphasis on "underclass".

There was recently a survey carried out by universities across the U.K. [Living Standards Survey] and it is rather bleak looking. According to it, 4 million children in Britain [not only immigrant children] are living in deprivation at the moment and 1.8 million unemployed are living in poverty. It also gave figures I think around 2 million, for people in work and supporting a family are actually living in poverty.
I`m not sure how this compares to other European countries.
Far away from the "classless" society promised by Tony Blair when he gained power. Doesn`t seem to be happening under the current government either. New cuts in benefits that are being implemented at the moment will, it seems, leave many more families under financial strain.

[nordicwarrior]

Here's the U.S. version... this is what eight years of Bush Jr. and five years of Obama have gotten us:

*LANDED GENTRY-- basically self-explanatory and matches what we see in England. Wealthy land owners that live of their investment interest and don't dare touch the principle.

*URBAN/SUBURBAN UPPER MIDDLE CLASS-- at this point it consists of Federal and State government employees, mid-level bankers, and higher level health care providers. This class has gotten very MUCH smaller in the last fifteen years.

*WORKING POOR-- this would include Starbucks employees, all the Big Box workers (Walmart, Home Depot, Target, etc.) and pretty much everyone else not listed in the other catagories. Their benefit packages are paper thin (or don't exist at all) and most work part-time. They spend their day selling sugar water to each other. The money for home improvement projects has vanished mysteriously so our economy really is fluid based (as in sugar water). Sad but true.

*GENERATIONALLY POOR-- while this group is at the bottom of the heap socially and politically, they now have quite a lifestyle based on food stamps, Medi-caid, free and reduced housing, free cell phones, subsidized energy and cable expenses.

Please note the lack of factory workers included in this summary.

[hope]

Here's the U.S. version... this is what eight years of Bush Jr. and five years of Obama have gotten us:

*LANDED GENTRY-- basically self-explanatory and matches what we see in England. Wealthy land owners that live of their investment interest and don't dare touch the principle.

*URBAN/SUBURBAN UPPER MIDDLE CLASS-- at this point it consists of Federal and State government employees, mid-level bankers, and higher level health care providers. This class has gotten very MUCH smaller in the last fifteen years.

*WORKING POOR-- this would include Starbucks employees, all the Big Box workers (Walmart, Home Depot, Target, etc.) and pretty much everyone else not listed in the other catagories. Their benefit packages are paper thin (or don't exist at all) and most work part-time. They spend their day selling sugar water to each other. The money for home improvement projects has vanished mysteriously so our economy really is fluid based (as in sugar water). Sad but true.

*GENERATIONALLY POOR-- while this group is at the bottom of the heap socially and politically, they now have quite a lifestyle based on food stamps, Medi-caid, free and reduced housing, free cell phones, subsidized energy and cable expenses.

Please note the lack of factory workers included in this summary.

Yet, the politicians seem to fair well nordicwarbler! I know ours certainly seem to.