Class and income

Income and class are not the same, and there are multiple ways to define and measure them both. Definitions of class are discussed in Chapter 2, and multiple sources used including official statistics, analysis of British Social Attitudes (BSA), YouGov polling, and the Great British Class Survey (GBCS) to illustrate the definition. Analysis in the policy sections drew primarily on the BSA, and has been supplemented by other sources (such as YouGov polling by traditional definitions of social class by occupation and subjective class status) where available and relevant, as well as quotes from qualitative studies where available. While the strength of the GBCS is its descriptive depth, using it for attitudes data (even if reliable data existed) could be problematic due to uneven sizes of groupings and potential conflation with age. No primary data analysis was undertaken for the book, so all sources are referenced. Unpublished analysis by third parties used by the author can be obtained on request. All sources have been listed and attributed in the text or references, so the reader can be clear what is being drawn on and when.

There are not always distinct differences in attitudes by class or by income, and the text has made this clear where this is or is not the case. Variations in attitudes between groups tend to be subtle and have been cross-referenced where feasible with multiple data sources. One of the advantages with using annual BSA data is that the questions are asked the same way, which allows the reader to get a sense of enduring attitudes over time as they can be shaped by the medium-term context. They tend not to fluctuate much year-on-year. It is also important to recognise that class and income are not always the dominant features that shape attitudes. Class sometimes influences attitudes, and this is discussed in more detail in Chapter 3.

According to the government’s Households Below Average Income survey, an individual was at the middle of the distribution in 2015-16 if his or her gross weekly household income was £483 per week; £585 for a couple with no children; £392 for a single person with no children; £626 for a single person with two children aged under 14; or £819 for a couple with two children aged under 14.