BBC: What Class Are You?

[CAM]

Let's see what the results are.

BBC News - The Great British class calculator: What class are you?

 

Not sure how to handle folks still living at home with parents though, especially the younger techs. Should whole household be taken into account or just own income and mark as renting?

[VeryPC_Tom_M]

Apparently, I'm a 'New affluent worker"!

 

If only I felt that way!

[Mcshammer_dj]

I appear to fall into "Established middle class"

[mattx]

I'm still waiting for John Major's classless society - another TORY hell bent on talking complete and utter bollox.

 

'In the next ten years we will have to continue to make changes which will make the whole of this country a genuinely classless society. ' - Today newspaper, 24 November 1990.

[rickjames]

'Emergent service worker'

 

Sure.

[6Foot2]

I saw this in the news this morning. Perhaps it says a lot about social class when the first three questions in this 'calculator' are financially based and the next questions who you know socially with the more 'favourable' responses weighted toward teachers, university lecturers and the like.

 

The Victorian concept of social class serves no useful function in a modern society.

[unixman_again]

Precariat. I think the survey is flawed, with far too much emphasis on money. Enter the highest salary and property value into the calculator and leave the rest blank (ie rich and with absolutely no social life) and it says that you are elite. I don't think so!

[laserblazer]

I appear to fall into "Established middle class"

 

And me. I think we should have Established Middle Class Member under our username, differentiate us from the hoy polloy

[localzuk]

The entire concept of 'class' is kinda nonsense in the 21st century. Sure there are differences between groups, but many people have multiple groups of friends, each with different tastes and views.

 

For example, I'm a gamer, but I also enjoy a nice nose around a museum or old manor. I also enjoy a good political debate and my views vary from those which many would think of as liberal to some which are typically conservative. I enjoy a good live gig, but I also enjoy theatre.

 

The idea that your class is defined by your wealth is the basis of all this, and always has been. I don't earn a huge amount, but I'm no longer skint. I have no savings and no property - how could I? However, traditionally, you'd say I was middle class due to my parents having property, savings, and a decent income.

 

My question is - what does it matter? Are we not allowed to cross class boundaries? Is an elite marrying a precariat not allowed? Or is it just statistics for statistics sake, with artificially drawn boundaries according to the views of whoever put the survey together?

[madurham]

Traditional Working Class. Looks like I need to make friends with a cleaner and a scientist to move up the ladder.

[featured_spectre]

Somehow I fall into Elite, not entirely sure though.

[mattx]

Somehow I fall into Elite, not entirely sure though.

 

Pi55ed again ?

[featured_spectre]

LMAO. No. I just happen to do/have most of the options on there.

[witch]

It is completely screwed in terms of money and age.

 

Just because I am old enough to have a reasonably valuable house and a reasonable household income, I am Established Middle Class. I probably am, but my contention is so are my children but because of their ages, home circumstances and earnings, they wouldnt fall into that area

[Davit2005]

Socialising with Teachers maybe the only thing I have going for me :-$

[Grey-gear]

I'm down as Emergent Service Worker, I miss read this the first time and got a bit anrgy until one of my colleagues piont out I miss read it.

[laserblazer]

Socialising with Teachers maybe the only thing I have going for me :-$

 

 

That will knock you down a few rungs

[Davit2005]

That will knock you down a few rungs

 

Oops too late, I think it it already has.

[featured_spectre]

Thing is, I (well we) now own our home, courtesy of my mrs uncle, we earn enough to pay our way and live very comfortably (myself now being a software engineer and the mrs being a software analyst, if either of us lose our job, its a different matter), and do most of the stuff listed such as listen to jazz, go to museums etc. We are 27 and 28 respectively. She put in similar answers to myself, and got established middle class. I think 2 things unticked that I ticked made the difference. Edited April 3, 2013 by featured_spectre

[Dos_Box]

'Established Middle Class'

 

I'm not sure that this was well thought out TBH. I checked all of the boxes for playing games, going to gigs, listening to rock/indie etc. but I also like theatre, visiting manor houses and a raft of other activities as well.

Also skewed was the socialising option I think. Many of my friends have worked their way up from very lowly positions and are now engineers and managers for example. Roll this back 20 years and they all had quite menial positions. I also have 2 pensions, one local govt and one military. Not massive amounts, but when classed as savings skew the results as well.

[SpuffMonkey]

Somehow I fall into Elite, not entirely sure though.

 

Probably flagged up you were friends with David Braben!

[sted]

new affluent worker aparently

[synaesthesia]

Emergent Service Worker. For all intents and purposes, that translates to "Pleb".

As mentioned above though, it's rubbish and poorly thought out. I don't even understand why your preferred choice of music would have anything to do with class? I know a Lord of the Manor who's music of choice is near identical to mine - half Queen/Genesis/Gabriel/Floyd/Mac, half Trance/Dance/EDM. He's nearing his 60s.

Outmoded concept that has no relevance in this day and age.

[Gibbo]

I'm still waiting for John Major's classless society - another TORY hell bent on talking complete and utter bollox.

 

'In the next ten years we will have to continue to make changes which will make the whole of this country a genuinely classless society. ' - Today newspaper, 24 November 1990.

 

BBC News - Class calculator: Can I have no job or money and still be middle class?

 

It's a far cry from the declaration in 1997 by John Prescott, then Labour's deputy leader, that "we're all middle-class now".

 

Prof Mike Savage, lead sociologist behind the survey, says: "By the 90s, there was a feeling that class labels were no longer important, we were no longer obsessed by class.