Survey charts emergence of new class system

The traditional view of a Britain made up working, middle and upper class people is no longer accurate, according to one of the largest studies of its kind. The Great British Class Survey of 161,000 people, has charted the emergence of a new class system comprising seven groups in Britain, blurring the conventional boundaries between the 'middle' and 'working' classes. It was led by BBC LabUK, and leading sociologists Professor Fiona Devine from The University of Manchester and Professor Mike Savage from the London School of Economics The results of the web survey are published in this month's issue of the journal Sociology. According to GBCS, only 39% of Britons now fit the stereotypes of middle and working class - those in the 'Established Middle Class' and the 'Traditional Working Class'. Professor Savage said: "Occupation has been the traditional way to define a person's class, but this is actually too simplistic. "In fact, social class goes far wider than that: economic, social, and cultural dimensions all play an important role. "So economic capital: income, savings, house value; social capital: the number, and status of people we know; and cultural capital: the extent and nature of cultural interests and activities all play a part.