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:
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:
- 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.