Poll: The Great British class calculator

[Hatter The Mad]

Nobody here is elite, That's just ridiculous. Richard Branson is elite. Being a wage slave makes everyone here middle or below.

I think you (like many other people) way overestimate the amount of income or wealth it takes to be considered part of the top 1 or 2% of the country.

If I recall correctly, this test is considering the top 6% of the country (economically) to be an 'elite' criterion.

 

[King Damager]

Emergent service worker.

What a load of ****.

Nobody here is elite, That's just ridiculous. Richard Branson is elite. Being a wage slave makes everyone here middle or below.

Hmm, of course, because you know all about the members on here, and there's no chance that one of them might even actually be Richard Branson.

Not to mention the fact that its only £50k earnings to be in the top 10%. Add a bit of culture to that, and some family prestige (stereotype read: goes to good school) and all of a sudden it doesn't seem so hard to be elite.

Anyone who wants to dispute my school theory: most parents aim to give their kids the best start, and there's a direct positive correlation between house prices, and nearby school quality (read tables)

kd

 

[Xordium]

Nobody here is elite, That's just ridiculous.

I got to be elite. Started off mostly harmless mind you like the rest of the plebs.

 

[krooton]

Hmm, of course, because you know all about the members on here, and there's no chance that one of them might even actually be Richard Branson.

Not to mention the fact that its only £50k earnings to be in the top 10%. Add a bit of culture to that, and some family prestige (stereotype read: goes to good school) and all of a sudden it doesn't seem so hard to be elite.

Anyone who wants to dispute my school theory: most parents aim to give their kids the best start, and there's a direct positive correlation between house prices, and nearby school quality (read tables)

kd

Well I got sent to a private sixth-form, but that was only because state high school failed my brother so miserably and my parents didn't want the same to happen to me.

I guess we were middle-class by South African standards, but in terms of wealth and capital that is pretty much the same as working class UK peeps, haha.

 

[Philluminati]

1337.

 

[Gammawolf]

I'd be curious to know how the 'financially insecure' part is determined, as Firestar stated it seems to be linked to home ownership. Which as an absolute measurement of wealth or affluence is a total crock.

Apparently one can be earning 25-50k, have over 100k in savings (find it odd anyway that the upper limit is only 100k ) but because they rent still be "financially insecure"

 

[Efour]

It makes perfect sense (sadly) Owning your own house is a huge asset to separate the wheat from the chaff. . Not owning one is... Not.

 

[elmarko]

I think you (like many other people) way overestimate the amount of income or wealth it takes to be considered part of the top 1 or 2% of the country.

If I recall correctly, this test is considering the top 6% of the country (economically) to be an 'elite' criterion.

That's also true.

You don't need to be earning that much to be in the top 6% at all, the last time I checked you only need to be on £35,000 to be in the top 10% of earners, IIRC you only need to be on about £42,000 to be in the top 5%

 

[Vince]

Apparently i'm established middle class. Who would have funked it? As far as I can tell most of this is calculated on that fact that I know people who have decent jobs...

 

[Freakbro]

From the descriptions I imagined I am Technical Middle Class

Took the test and I'm Technical Middle Class

 

[Von Smallhausen]

Established middle class.

From the north east, humble upbringing, grafter of a dad who was a welder and a mam who was a hairdresser and retired as a cleaner. Not sure the calculator is entirely accurate.

 

[Yaayuh!]

Elite, obviously.

 

[randomshenans]

That's also true.

You don't need to be earning that much to be in the top 6% at all, the last time I checked you only need to be on £35,000 to be in the top 10% of earners, IIRC you only need to be on about £42,000 to be in the top 5%

Yea, and like 99k entry point to get in to the top 1% which doesn't seem much really!

My next aim is 0.1% - entry point 353k! Easy!

 

[Hatter The Mad]

Established middle class.

From the north east, humble upbringing, grafter of a dad who was a welder and a mam who was a hairdresser and retired as a cleaner. Not sure the calculator is entirely accurate.

I really think you (and others in the thread) are missing the point of the new research and this estimator - built on the back of that research and best-fit analysis within a model informed by 160,000 candidates.

The old way of teling ones class was based on things like parents, profession, capital.

This is a supposed new, more refined classification system updated for modern times; times where social mobility is vastly greater than old times, and that new cultural pursuits and arrangements mean that it is not so simple as upper, middle and working anymore.

The researchers believe that your social circle and activities are (for example) more accurate and realistic indicators of your class than the old notions of what your parents did or did not do. That's why it does not ask you what your parents did. That's why it does not ask you what you do.

I'm not saying the calculator is right or wrong or if the research is flawed or not, but I am saying that responses like 'well coming from parents Y and from location X this seems like a pretty inaccurate calculator' is not appropriate.

 

[MeEsH BaKkA]

Established middle class.....

I don't see how but the beeb says so, I'm off to smoke a pipe and put on a cashmere sweater.

 

[Vince]

Established middle class.

From the north east, humble upbringing, grafter of a dad who was a welder and a mam who was a hairdresser and retired as a cleaner. Not sure the calculator is entirely accurate.

Much the same, only I was brought up in a single parent family where my mum bless her had nothing, divorced young and was left with massive debts. I lived in temporary accommodation most of my life, worked as soon as I was old enough and paid my way through uni.

I'm not sure that this new-fangled class system is anything even like the class system of old.

 

[D.P.]

Elite

This is the wealthiest and most privileged group in the UK. According to the Great British Class Survey results, lots of people in this group:

Enjoy high cultural activities such as visiting museums and listening to classical music
Went to private school and elite universities
Socialise with people who do a wide variety of jobs




and I achieved that level despite ticking renting, which is actually not actually too surprising as rent can be more expensive than buying. I coudl buy a house in the cheap part of town and pay less in mortgage but I prefer to live in better part of town and pay significantly more rent (or course I could rent in a cheaper part of town).

 

[JBod]

Apparently I'm elite. I'm guessing that comes from answering that I have some educated friends and some inheritance. I certainly don't meet the rest of the criteria

There was no where to say about inheritance?

 

[Hatter The Mad]

There was no where to say about inheritance?

Umm yeah tere was - it asked how much you had in property and savings.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

I'm not sure that this new-fangled class system is anything even like the class system of old.

You don't say