Why do you think mumsnet has a more wealthy user base than average or do you think it’s full of bullshitters?

[Lurkinginthedarkness]

I’ve been reading mumsnet threads regularly for a while now and have noticed the userbase seems to be far wealthy than the general population, based on the income threads and also other little things that give that feel.
Obviously I’m not saying I think everyone is wealthier than average on here I’m personally a broke loser and I’m sure there’s others like me, but I’ve been blown away by the sheer amount of people saying they earn 60, 70, 80 or even 100k like it’s average.

I personally don’t think it’s full of bullshitters as there are other hints like the fact the spelling and grammar used on here is typically far superior to other sites like facebook and obviously you’re unlucky to have a brilliant job if you’re SPAG isn’t spot on.

Anyway I like mumsnet and have nothing against people being better off than me I’m just musing what do you think it is about mumsnet that attracts more wealthier people typically?

I think the "norm", whatever that means to any individual, doesn't stand out like the posts about situations different to your own. You will notice and remember "different" in a way you just won't with more familiar stuff.

I agree with the pp about writing standards. For better or for worse, posts written to a higher standard will on average get more attention than posts which are harder to follow. This then becomes self reinforcing. And on a population level that will start to skew the demographic towards the wealthier end.

Then of course there are total bullshitters and those prone to exaggeration. Personally I would only be in the top 1% of earners if you were only counting passive income from my clever investments, but pick up extra though a bit of work here and there, enough that I fit in round here anyway but I don't like to talk about it much...

I mean compared to facebook where people confuse “know” with “no”

That’s also a good point. Construction workers in London, for example, often make £50k - £60k, which many people might not be aware of.

PS I don’t mean typos, either! I am defo guilty there.

Nothing is stopping anyone using the site but people are less likely to do so if they find it focussed on topics and issues that are not in their worldview. Plus there is the community aspect. People tend to be attracted to forums where people similar to them hang out.

I reckon it’s probably about 50/50. There are definitely a lot of genuine posters but there are also bound to be a lot of bullshitters.

I think a lot of posters are middle class professionals living in London. They’re more likely to join MN because like pp said, they’re more likely to have moved away for university or work and so are less likely to have a big community of family, neighbours, and longstanding friends so when they need support, they post on MN.

I’ve noticed the middle classes seem more anxious in general so they’re more likely to be seeking reassurance about pregnancy symptoms, children’s health, work situations, etc.

I’m a professional but not middle class or on a “MN salary” but I’ve found it helpful over the years learning from people who are older and wiser, probably more so when I was younger.

A lot of posters have been around for years so they’re older and have had more time to progress in their careers so they’re earn more as well as being able to buy fancier houses than might be achievable today so their level of wealth can be unimaginable for someone like me.

I’m often shocked at the “will my £500,000 pension be enough for me to live on? I’ll have the full state pension too, I own my home outright and have savings of £200,000” - I wonder if those posts are just to wind people up but on the flip side, I can see that for someone who has never experienced financial hardship and has only been around people much wealthier than them, it may be a genuine concern for them.

There are plenty of wind up posts that are obvious though “I live with my husband and 10 year old son. We have a household income of £250,000 and we’re finding it difficult to manage, we live off beans on toast and I haven’t bought a new item of clothing in 20 years” - those threads are amusing, it’s more funny how many people believe it and get invested.

A fair number of bullshitters IMO. The way in which a "solidly middle class" background is portrayed on here, tends to be rather twee and quaint, belonging more to the 50s; which makes me suspect invention or exaggeration.

In my experience, people who well off and/ or from a public school type background are much quieter and less inclined to boast.

Strangely. as well as the winning life /100K salary posts, you also find a lot of the race to the bottom/ competitive poverty or frugality posts, along the lines of "my wedding only cost £50"😆

This 😆😆

Partly it’s down to who posts here- average salaries for 30s-40s are higher than for the general population.

I think the average poster here is in their 50s or 60s.

But statistically there are not millions of women earning over 100k.

I also find thete's a substantial number of posters on UC, mentioning they can't work because of a disability.

This is one of the few places on the internet where people write really well. I suspect that it is more that the MN population is far more educated than the general population.

I don't think they are bullshitters on the whole except for particular kinds of posts ("I earn £100k but I feel poor" goady ones mainly). If you read threads about private schooling or working overseas for e.g. you can see many people who are clearly well informed, so I believe those people have the money backing up what they are saying.

As for why, all sites develop their own culture over time, that it Mumsnet's. If I was an impoverished mum I'd most likely pick a different site (not least because the judgment is so heavy here) so it gradually becomes more and more of an echo chamber.

I don't think they are bullshitters on the whole except for particular kinds of posts ("I earn £100k but I feel poor" goady ones mainly)

Whereas I completely understand why supporting a family on 100k can be harder than one expected. So much depends on age, dc & age of them & housing costs.

I come from a low income background but I have a high income as an adult. MN draws me in because I don't have the social network to navigate things like the private school system in London, and it gives me an insight into some anecdotal tips that others might get through word of mouth, like holidays, products, sometimes local information about London areas and activities. So it's useful for me. I take what I read with a pinch of salt but sometimes you can tell when someone has had a direct experience of something or somewhere.

It’s a bit like watching the news. You are seeing highlights from a narrow band of action. You don’t see a news bulletin leading with “not much happened for the vast majority of people today” despite that being a very accurate description of what took place.

I’ve had a career that ranges from dull very low paid work right though to huge corporate salaries. Nobody would ever have the slightest bit of interest in what I did for work when I was low paid so I’d never comment about it on here or in real life. That changes when you earn very well in part because people are curious about the route you had to follow to reach that point. Nobody cares how you managed to land a job in McDonalds.

It’s the same for most topics. You only see relatively extreme viewpoints because the middle ground is dull.

When people talk about childbirth on here you either hear about those who nearly bled to death or those who say it was so straightforward they nearly forgot it ever happened.

I think you’ve largely called it yourself, OP.

If I compare it to the only other parenting website I’ve glanced at (Netmums), the posters on here seem, on the whole, better educated & to be from wealthier backgrounds.

Of course, there will also be a good sprinkle of billy bullshitters also.

There are definitely bullshiters and fantasists present.

However, based on my time here I would say MN can be quite London centric- which probably means higher salaries. I also think the demographic skews slightly older as many women stay once their children grow because it's a women's site as much as a parenting site.

I think the nature of some of the forums attract larger groups from some demographics- women balancing stressful careers with raising children; private school parents; women worrying about employment issues with nannies or cleaners.

So overall, I can imagine the average MN user is probably wealthier, better educated, and more likely to live in London or the Home Counties than the average Briton.

Same. But I know it would be goady as hell to start a thread about it when I know that - if push came to shove - we could downsize, move areas, sell things and just cut general expenditure. There is usually a choice. There isn’t usually a choice to be a single parent on minimum wage juggling crippling childcare costs. I do agree with you though - the squeezed middle!

It's largely a reflection of which threads get engagement. Bluntly, a thread about what dress someone should buy for up to £800 to meet the Queen is more fun to read than one about stretching a tiny grocery budget. I do quite enjoy the really squalid threads but I never know why people post them, they never get a kind response.

I don’t think most people on here are bullshitters. What would be the point of boasting to strangers who don’t even know who you are? You can tell by kind of things they talk about, the language they use, the things they believe in etc that the majority are upper middle class, well-educated and therefore probably earning a lot. There’s a lot of snobbery on here I find

Saw a thread recently about someone who couldn’t decide between two skirts - a £500 one and a £600 and something one. She didn’t mention any kind of special occasion. Just something to add to the wardrobe. Not one poster commented with the blindingly obvious- “who the fuck spends over £500 on a skirt?!!”

Well, there's no need to make comments about the cost of the skirt on the context of which one do you prefer?

I tend to use MN because most posters are literate and seem quite intelligent/well educated. I wouldn't be interested in the life experiences of people who weren't. My local Facebook community forum provides evidence of that!

So many posts about affluent London boroughs and posh private schools.