What is social class these days?
09 February 2016

Unsurprisingly, the survey found that traditional concepts of the upper, middle and working classes defined by occupation, wealth and education were too simplistic for contemporary British society. Drawing on the approach of Pierre Bourdieu, the survey results indicated that inequalities in income and wealth, the different kinds of people we know and our leisure and cultural preferences present a more complex picture of class.

The three capitals of class today - economic, cultural and social – identify seven new class groups:

Elite - The group with the highest levels of all three capitals

Established middle class - The largest and most gregarious group, scoring second highest for cultural capital

Technical middle class - Prosperous but scoring low for social and cultural capital

New affluent workers – Scoring high socially and culturally, with average economic capital

Traditional working class - Low scores of all three capitals, but not completely deprived

Emergent service workers – Scoring low economically but high for social and cultural capital

Precariat – Scoring the lowest on all fronts

Professor Savage has now published a book, Social Class in the 21st Century, which looks beyond these labels to explore how and why our society is changing and what this means for the people who find themselves in the margins, the centre and at the top of British society.

He will present his ideas at the first IJMR Lecture of 2016 on 1 March. Tickets are free for members and employees of Company Partners, but places are extremely limited. Click here for more information and booking details.