Seven Social Classes in the U.K.

People in the UK now fit into seven social classes, a major survey conducted by the BBC suggests. It says the traditional categories of working, middle and upper class are outdated, fitting 39% of people.

It found a new model of seven social classes ranging from the elite at the top to a "precariat" - the poor, precarious proletariat - at the bottom

BBC - The Great British Class Calculator

The seven classes are determined not just using economic worth, but social value (which is based on your social circle's status) and cultural value (which is based on the extent of your hobbies and interests).

I think this is interesting and an important development, because as a society we have entered an age where people who don't make much can still afford a great amount of entertainment and have access to a great deal of information online. In previous eras, lack of money limited the amount of knowledge one could have and also the quality of life much more than today.

The new classes are defined as:
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

Established middle class - the second wealthiest, scoring highly on all three capitals. The largest and most gregarious group, scoring second highest for cultural capital

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

New affluent workers - a young class group which is socially and culturally active, with middling levels of economic capital

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

Emergent service workers - a new, young, urban group which is relatively poor but has high social and cultural capital

Precariat, or precarious proletariat - the poorest, most deprived class, scoring low for social and cultural capital

The most interesting class to me are the emergent service workers, who tend to rent and have low incomes, but have high social and cultural capital. One traditional use of money is to trade it in for social and cultural capital, so knowing that there is a lot more of that available, even for the lower middle / lower class, is a good thing.

A lot of that comes from the internet, which provides an abundance of cultural capital, and also (and this is important) allows anyone to create and publish cultural capital while the previous establishment would have put roadblocks in the way of things like indie bands or indie games, or YouTube channels, or open-source content or Wikipedia.

Want to see where you fit in? Take the test yourself: BBC News Class Calculator

I took the test earlier this morning and it came back with "Elite" although I do not have 2 pennies to rub together..

However given the nature of this site I found the change in wording quite interesting, we refer to the elite running the world and here they are using that term to define them and their social standing in society..

It is certainly an interesting change, however I see a greater number of social levels creating a greater difficulty to move up the social scale, thus perhaps binding more people to a set position within society rather than using this as an opportunity to begin breaking down those barriers.

Just my tuppence worth (which is currently on loan from the bank)

reply to post by thoughtsfull


Elite? That's interesting, well you probably aren't in the 1% that holds ridiculously unproportional amounts of wealth - although I think that might be concentrated in the top 1/100 of a percent or so, honestly, or 1 / 10,000 people? They probably should have an extra class added -

I mean, obviously, there was an elite social class that was responsible for stealing all the money from the "elites" (those with 100,000 + money in their bank accounts) at Cyprus. I don't think you fit into that category.

reply to post by darkbake


And this is where it gets interesting though isn't it... you once had lower class, upper lower class, middle class, upper middle class and even the same distinctions within the upper classes... denoted by the way we pluralise them.

However over the years as we became freer within society those notions became more fluid creating the impression of mobility between the classes, and what I see is this closing down that notion of mobility, and creating more barriers by which to pigeon hole people into a new social class.

At least that is my take on this... when presented with something new it takes people a period of time to get their heads around their new position in society and what that position is relative to everyone else.. It is not until people fully understand that can they begin to understand if they are moving in an up, down or sideways motion relative to those around them.

This is in my opinion another clever social ploy to try and box people into place, but by our nature humans do not do well when they are confined like this..

Again this is just my tuppence worth, taking out on HP

Well Iam lowest of the low with Precariat.
Am I bothered nah.
I work I do a moral job, get paid next to nothing, have about 20 quid a week to spend on food clothing and any luxury's.
May class me as the lowest but we are all cogs in the wheel, what I do is as important as anyone else.

The BBC forgot the underclass, that deliberately created group upon whose perceived 'needs', all trickle down economics is predicated.

And no mention of how scum always rises to the top!

I personally do not agree with this "new and improved" way of defining class - I think it scews with the reality of peoples position by taking into account what they type of entertainment they like to spend their money on/ what interests them.

The more types of people you know - The greater you go up in class. Do you go to the theatre? You must be a higher class.

I think it tried to make out like there is social mobility in society when these days, there clearly is not.

I dislike this new definition.

Originally posted by boymonkey74
Well Iam lowest of the low with Precariat.
Am I bothered nah.

Me too

And I own my own business, run a charity and socialise with scientists and the like.

But I also like rock music, rather than opera .......

Originally posted by SearchLightsInc
The more types of people you know - The greater you go up in class. Do you go to the theatre? You must be a higher class.

I think it tried to make out like there is social mobility in society when these days, there clearly is not.

Ha ha ha. Because I go to the theater once a month, I get to be a higher class! No wonder it costs so much to go there.

So much for the concept of 'the classless society' then.

I could have told the BBC, there is only two classes...those who 'think' they have, and those who despise them.

I think this is interesting and an important development, because as a society we have entered an age where people who don't make much can still afford a great amount of entertainment and have access to a great deal of information online. In previous eras, lack of money limited the amount of knowledge one could have and also the quality of life much more than today.

What development? Some university types trying to redefine stuff on a whim?

The working class are still the working class, the middle class are still the middle class and the upper class are still the upper class. This idea that because I listen to jazz and occasionally draw paintings that I'm "established middle class" is the biggest load of certified garbage I've ever come across in my life.

This is just an attempt to muddy the water and pull the wool over everyones eyes. I'm sure they'd love if people measured themselves only by culture and forgot about the oppressive and unjust capitalist system they're stuck at the bottom of.

If you like hip hop somehow that takes you down the scale, even though the biggest consumers of hip hop there are, and always has been for the last few decades, is middle class people.

It also shows a lot of bias and ignorance on behalf of the (probably middle class) folks behind the poll. Jazz and opera are too refined for working class people, while football and rock music is below them

media just trying to kill the notion of a traditional class system because if you were to accept and inspect it, you'd see we live in a massively unjust society in which the majority are oppressed and start with a handicap.

reply to post by GrandStrategy


Football since the late 90's became a middle-class thing - They've practically priced out working class people.