Middle class identifiers 2022

[Pullandpush]

I read a similar thread a few years ago & the main middle class markers were hummus, organic food, private education, boden, ski trips etc, farrow & ball..
Are these unchanged for 2022 or have the identifiers shifted?
Since the pandemic I've seen a rise in the "hipster" style MC especially the men, maybe the working from home has allowed them to relax into the unshaven, casual look which wasn't there a few years ago...
Private education seems to be on the wane but that may be due to the cost of living..
Any other main MC identifiers I missed?

But money is strongly correlated with social class. If you surveyed 1000 private school parents, what percentage do you think would be working class? It's not going to be a high percentage, is it?

Even in MC families where the parents don't earn masses, they are more likely to have a grandparent who is wealthy enough to chip in for school fees.

I also think there is a definite sway towards all MC people being decent, well-educated, sensible types - inadvertently or maybe otherwise, suggesting that WC people aren't and where does that leave WC people and their ambitions? No wonder they feel a lack of opportunity when they face this kind of discrimination.

@Walkaround

Socio -economic markers. Market segmentation. Branding for different people. What people want to buy.

I also think there is a definite sway towards all MC people being decent, well-educated, sensible types - inadvertently or maybe otherwise, suggesting that WC people aren't and where does that leave WC people and their ambitions?

Have often wondered why, in the musical Matilda, Matilda has a MC accent and her parents WC accents.

I think it can vary depending on where you live too. Middle Class Scotland is different from Middle Class England.

There was nothing inadvertent about Kris02's snobbery!

If you want to call someone vulgar, call them vulgar.

Using "lower class"/"working class" as a synonym for "crap" is no better than using the word "gay" as a synonym for "crap".

Play rooms and ensuites for me. If you've got space for things like that with young children then you've done pretty well on the property ladder on a young age so probably had family help with the deposit.

Parents berating their primary aged children for not keeping the their personal ensuites tidy has had me 😂😚

Very amused you posted about the accountant talking about his money - @Xenia you talk about your money and how much of it you have all the time.😂

Matching furniture.

Children in Private Grammar School
Business class travel
remote controlled house
49 inch flat screen telly
Landrovers
chihuahua
LV bag
but the mentality of a council estate tenant .
… FFS….have you not heard, “money doesn’t buy class”.
COWS 🐮

I agree but Kris02 is not alone in her judgments.

Very amused you posted about the accountant talking about his money - @Xenia you talk about your money and how much of it you have all the time. 😂

So true! 😂😂

Obviously it's different when our betters do it. Of course they're not being vulgar, perish the thought!

Oh, I assumed it was because they watched so much tv so she picked up a BBC English type accent. Like how American kids nowadays are getting it from watching Peppa Pig!

So tell me, what exactly is "the mentality of a council house tenant"?

BunnyCat makes a good point. The middle class is very broad. In income terms for those working (and not all middle class people will be working) it probably encompasses those in jobs such as teachers and nurses who might be earning in the mid 30k, up to those earning £500k+. And yes, there are far more at the lower end. There are heaps of families with uni educated parents in public sector mid level jobs, or those running small businesses who generate a family income of between 50 and 80k.

Most of these are or become home owners and will have come from a range of backgrounds, but won’t be paying for orivate education and will face large mortgage payments. The families paying for private education at £20k + per child and who have second homes are a far smaller number. Some of them have made money and are nouveau riche, if you want to call it that. Lots of them are from traditional middle class families who were also privately educated and have access to more of the social capital that is referred to on this thread.

Many and the majority of the middle classes on the more typical levels of income, probably don’t have pianos (no room for one thing) or huge amounts of social capital. They are interested in education and look at the different schools and certainly bear it in mind when moving house, but most do t have significant choices. They like their kids to get some extra curricular exposure, but it’s likely to be Sunday football and maybe Scouts and swimming lessons, rather than £30 per hour 1-2-1 private music lessons and clubs which cost £500 per term. These families like their homes to look nice and might spend of renovations or pssoivly an extension at a ouch, but with big mortgages, childcare costs and just life, most are probably living in standard 3 bed or 4 bed houses. They probably buy their cars on lease agreements and don’t have substantial savings, but probably have got a buffer in case of emergency. They will have a holiday and see it as important and will be willing to save for a nice family time in the summer either abroad or UK. They can go out with friends for a birthday meal or similar and don’t have to watch every penny at the supermarket and can buy some booze every week, but most aren’t shopping at Waitrose or can totally ignore their weekly costs or not give any thoughts to them. This is probably what most middle class people look like. They’ve got some items of the so called middle class clothes in their wardrobe, but don’t fully kit themselves out in it, because it’s just a bit expensive and actually have some supermarket clothes too. They’re keen to be seen as respectable and comfortably off and are aware of who probably has more than them and who has less. Life is fairly comfortable, but requires a bit of planning and thought. They can’t take stuff for granted - their children will probably do okay at school, but whether that will be really well or just okay is hard to know. This is what most families with oerhaos £45-£75k look like these days.

DH and I have just gone to Waitrose to buy Charlie Bighams, him wearing White Stuff, me wearing Thought.

We nearly had a meltdown as they had moved the espresso powder shelf - yes we have a mokka pot.

However we are spoiling our MC credentials by being shoes off indoors, blame my Scandinavian heritage

We nearly had a meltdown as they had moved the espresso powder shelf

😁

I have another example, I know this woman (vaguely) she's on my face book. She is a painter, and she does create art. And it is ok. But she always has buyers. She was shipping off some of her work to its new home in London and was posting about it on face book. Good for her, but if I told you how ordinary this stuff is you'd think I was jealous. I'm not. I know that people are buying a piece of HER. She has this impossibly perfect life. Good looking DC, surf boards on top of the car. Husband has one of the old fashioned professions though He's good looking and has various well known barristers and journalists in his circle of friends.

My friend and I were laughing a while ago about the housewives of high earning husbands who set themselves up in business selling jewellery. There are always a few. The jewellery's always shit too. God help me, do not try to flog us your squiggles on a hook

It's because WC accents = thick, vulgar and MC accents = nice, polite, educated.

Lazy stereotyping.

Disagree. Nothing in the garden, no hot tub, no pizza over, certainly no fire pit.

Would you say, @sunglassesonthetable , that the purpose of marketing is to try and fool people that they can join a particular class and lifestyle by purchasing particular products? Or are you trying to advertise that certain social classes should not buy particular products, because they are not of the right social class?
And if neither of these, then what does social class really have to do with it?

There isn't three classes in the UK anymore. There are seven.

If anything these are more pronounced now than they were back in 2013 when this started being publicised as a thing:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22007058

Elite - the most privileged group in the UK, distinct from the other six classes through its wealth. This group has the highest levels of all three capitals
Most over represented occupations in this class: CEO / IT and telecomms directors / Marketing and sales directors, Barristers and Judges / Dental practictioners / Advertising and public relations directors.

Established middle class - the second wealthiest, scoring highly on all three capitals. The largest and most gregarious group, scoring second highest for cultural capital
Most over represented occupations in this class: Electrical enginners, Occupational therapists, midwives, environmental professionals, police offers, quality assurance and regulatory professionals, town planning officials, special needs teaching professionals

Technical middle class - a small, distinctive new class group which is prosperous but scores low for social and cultural capital. Distinguished by its social isolation and cultural apathy
Most over represented occupations in this class: medical radiographers, aircraft pilots, pharmacists, higher education teachers, natural and social science professionals, physical scientists, senior professionals in education establishments, business, research and admin positions

New affluent workers - a young class group which is socially and culturally active, with middling levels of economic capital
Most over represented occupations in this class: electricians and electrical fitters, postal workers, retail cashiers and checkout operatives, plumbers and heating and ventilation engineers, sales and retail assistants, housing officers, kitchen and catering assistants, quality assurance technicians

Traditional working class - scores low on all forms of capital, but is not completely deprived. Its members have reasonably high house values, explained by this group having the oldest average age at 66
Most over represented occupations in this class: medical secretaries, legal secretaries, electrical and electronic technicians, care workers, cleaners, van drivers, electricians, residential, day and domicillary care

Emergent service workers - a new, young, urban group which is relatively poor but has high social and cultural capital
Most over represented occupations in this class: bar staff, chefs, nursing auxiliaries and assistants, assemblers and routine operatives, care workers, elementary storage occupations, customer service operations, musicians

Precariat, or precarious proletariat - the poorest, most deprived class, scoring low for social and cultural capital
Most over represented occupations in this class: cleaners, van drivers, care workers, carpenters and joiners, caretakers, leisure and travel service occupations, shopkeepers and proprietors, retail cashiers.

Middle class brings security and confidence and it comes down to having some money and a confidence you can buy yourself support on things that matter to you

. It’s a Confidence that if it all goes tits up you won’t end up without a roof over your head or having to forgo feeding your family because someone in your family or circle will ensure that happens

. If you’re unemployed you’ll be able to tap into your contacts to help you out and possibly give you a job . If you want to see a doctor you can pay to see who you want to avoid waiting lists and you’ll have private health care anyway unless you’re an NHS consultant when you might not have it on principle but you can only have those principles as your consultant mates see you and your family for free in their private clinics and then bump you up their NHS lists even though they shouldn’t but nobody ever questions this.

if your child has SEN or MH problems or one of you is ill your contacts and circle know the best specialists. The best divorce lawyers. The best accountants etc and you all do each other favours. Clearly they’re not all the best but it’s a competition to always know the “best”

You understand the education system and have high aspirations for your children and can throw money at most things to ensure they have the support they need when they want it be that tutors. Speech therapists, houses in catchment of good schools,

it’s buying in services to make your life easier, cleaner, window cleaner, gardener, odd job person.

your kids don’t worry about university debt because they are completely confident to they can repay the loans as they’re just as confident they’ll have a high paying job and if they don’t then an inheritance will pay it off. Their parents don’t pay the fees and make them take the loans to “teach them the value of money” but it’s not really doing anything of the sort

you spend a lot of time discussing the newest restaurants (always low key little gems) the villages in Italy / France / mallorca / Ibiza to rent for the summer. And bemoan that you fancy a hotel holiday but not a ghastly all inclusive unless it’s IKOS or Sani where your teens join you after they’ve been interailing but in Airbnb or private en-suite rooms in spotless hostels if they’re slumming it despite mum and dad ensuring the Monzo or Revolut card is charged in “case of an emergency”. Your kids might have done a trip to magaluf or similar for a parent free holiday but for no more than 4 nights because anymore is too much and they don’t want to miss out on the family holiday to above IKOS or luxury Villa.

Would you say, @sunglassesonthetable , that the purpose of marketing is to try and fool people that they can join a particular class and lifestyle by purchasing particular products? Not really. But you do sell 'a lifestyle'Or are you trying to advertise that certain social classes should not buy particular products, because they are not of the right social class? No. But some individual associations are not good. eg Prince Andrew has been dropped all round. ^
And if neither of these, then what does social class really have to do with it?^
As per theOP. Like it or not there are indicators. Which makes targeting easier for brands easier. The same way the internet throws ads up at you depending on what you take an interest in.

@Walkaround