From Precariat to Elite

[heppers75]

A somewhat interesting poll from the Beeb, I wonder how many PHers will be "Elite"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22000973

[Megaflow]

Technical Middle Class here.

What is most interesting, was the average age of than bands, the youngest being 36. I don't consider myself young anymore (sadly) but that is just a year younger than me. I guess that shows just how the population of the UK is aging and, in part, why the benefits bill is getting so big.

[speedy_thrills]

These aren't new classes, it's the same classes stretched out over a greater income disparity!

BBC said:

Emergent Service Workers: This new class has low economic capital but has high levels of 'emerging' cultural capital and high social capital. This group are young and often found in urban areas.

So the young "new" aspiring middle class? Poorer relativity than previous generations but educated, social and partaking in the enjoyment of varied culture.

[dunmow70]

Why do they have a picture of Pat Butcher from Eastenders for the Precariat?

[muffinmenace]

"Emergent service workers

This class group is financially insecure, scoring low for savings and house value, but high for social and cultural factors. According to the Great British Class Survey results, lots of people in this group:

Are young
Enjoy a cultured social life
Rent their home - almost 90%"


Id have thought 20k in savings was not bad for a 25yo... but whatever.

[Blib]

ELITE !



In your faces, you goddamn peasants.

[tomw2000]

I'm also Elite.

OBVIOUSLY.

Surely everyone on PH will be?

[turbobloke]

tomw2000 said:

I'm also Elite.

OBVIOUSLY.

Surely everyone on PH will be?

Of course

Though being a tad down on one of the blue wedges, maybe it was the ballet and I need to soak up more on the arabesque front (not a chance).

[Twincam16]

This survey is deeply flawed IMO.

I just did it twice, feeding in all the information it asked.

First time around, it said I was a 'New Affluent Worker'.

Second time around, the only thing I changed was not ticking 'lorry driver' on the 'what do people you know do for a living' section, as I only really know one lorry driver so he's not exactly representative of my social circle.

The end result changed from 'New Affluent Worker' to 'Established Middle Class.'

According to the 'New Affluent Worker' description, my parents are members of the traditional working class (wrong), I live in the ex-industrial North (wrong), and I don't enjoy going to the theatre or listening to classical music (wrong).

I pretend I don't know Andrew the lorry driver, I jump TWO social classes.

How on Earth does that make sense?

[MagicalTrevor]

Elite (although I disagree with that), probably due to absolutely blitzing the 'social' section. I'm probably more like the 'technical middle class' really.

It's all very specific but then you're dumped into one of the categories and that's that.

[RichardD]

Twincam16 said:

...How on Earth does that make sense?

It probably doesn't, but since you seem like an awkward pain in the harse who thinks too much and asks too many questions - may I suggest you keep changing your answers and join us in the "Technical middle class" .

[Twincam16]

MagicalTrevor said:

Elite (although I disagree with that), probably due to absolutely blitzing the 'social' section. I'm probably more like the 'technical middle class' really.

It's all very specific but then you're dumped into one of the categories and that's that.

Also, I know they're very 'traditional' questions in such a survey, but IMO not asking you what your parents do for a living and whether or not you went to university (and which university you went to and what you studied) is a glaring omission.

I mean, what if you're from a working-class background and your friends are largely from council estates, and your social activities are linked with what they enjoy as you socialise with them at the weekends (so you don't really go to the theatre and are partial to a bit of hip-hop), and yet you worked hard at school, went on to study Law at a Russell Group university, and are now a successful solicitor?

I know at least two people like that and yet according to this new thing they don't exist.

Or what if you're from a middle-class (but not actually that wealthy) background, but didn't go to university and have worked your way up through a traditional trade, and yet thanks to your parents' influence, you enjoy a bit of opera and ballet?

This survey seems to operate on the assumption that social mobility is dead, as clearly education has no influence on your social standing. It makes an assumption of your educational attainment based on what you earn (very flawed - many learned academics and scientists make naff-all), people you know (see my points above - it's no real indicator, just a sign that you're sociable), and the things you get up to in your spare time (I reckon some people could tick every box on that list. I also know some 'elites' with thoroughly 'working-class' tastes).

[DMN]

Elite, bow down serfs.

[K12beano]

What the **** does "Precarious Proletariat" mean?

And what's the difference between using a term like "prole" and a "pleb" - especially given all the media fuss about the use of "pleb" recently?

[munky]

Elite, which surprised me. The category is too broad, I think. There should be categories for plutocrats and royalty. I mean, if I was Wills, I don't think I'd be happy to be in the same category as me.

[Carfiend]

Commander Jameson checking in. Now where is my Tiger Transporter with the missles to fend off pirates from my cargo of space things?

[Jinx]

160,000 responded to a BBC survey - self selection anyone?
So whilst it is a good segmentation of BBC survey respondents over the wider society I suspect it may be a little biased (given >25% are in the >40k bracket in the survey and only 10% are higher tax payers in the UK) .

not Elite still Mostly Harmless

[ewenm]

Does anyone apart from sociologists care? Another label to attach to yourself or others that means bugger all in reality.

The only sensible response to the question "What class are you?" is "Don't know; don't care.".

[kji7]

K12beano said:

What the **** does "Precarious Proletariat" mean?

I think it's BBC newspeak for 'benefits class'.

[Mark Benson]

ewenm said:

Does anyone apart from sociologists care? Another label to attach to yourself or others that means bugger all in reality.

The only sensible response to the question "What class are you?" is "Don't know; don't care.".

Exactly. The divides between classes is entirely subjective and the boundaries between the 'new' middle classes are blurred by trying to include too many criteria such as use of social networking (which exists across all social strata but is heavily dependent on age).

It seems to me to be an attempt to socially engineer people into 'more' or 'less' favourable classes according to the preferences of the sociologists conducting the survey, working with a self-selecting group of respondents rather than a truly random sample.