2. GILBERT’S DEFINITION OF SOCIAL
CLASS
• “We define social classes as groups of families more or less equal in
rank and differentiated from other families above or below them with
regard to characteristics such as occupation,income, wealth, and
prestige”
3. SOCIAL
CLASS
Social class – a status hierarchy
by which groups and individuals
are classified based on esteem
(regard, respect) and prestige
(reputation, influence derived
from achievements). – American
Marketing Association
The different lifestyles of social
classes lead to different
benefits being sought
4. SOCIAL
CLASS
• Members of the same social
class tend to share common
values, beliefs, and behaviors
that unite them (as opposed
to simple demographics).
• Common factors used to
place people into different
social classes: occupation,
source of income,
possessions, associations
with others, and level of
influence.
5. OCCUPATION
• What a person does for a
living.
• It is an indicator of other
signs of class membership:
income, personal
associations, and status.
• Further, class assumptions
within an occupation may be
based on performance level.
6. Level of income is not by itself a good indicator of class.
Income source along with occupation may help us determine
whether two individuals that have the same income belong
in the same class: investments, inheritance, old wealth, etc.
Does a professional athlete making $20 million belong in the
same social class with a physician making $150,000
7. Consumption patterns and interaction networks are inherently linked.
People tend to associate with others that share the same tastes and
recreational activities.
Class consciousness – sense of belonging to a certain class is
reinforced by our associations. The higher our class the more class
conscious we are.
A mechanic wins a $50 million in the lottery…will his/her social class
change?
8. Membership in a higher class generally leads to greater influence
within the workplace, organizations, and society as a whole.
The more responsibility one has the greater the influence s/he
can exert on others.
9. THE
ORIGIN OF
SOCIAL
CLASS
ANALYSIS
• The study of social class has its
origin inWestern Philosophy.
• Philosophers during this period
realized that wealth, power, and
prestige were not equally
distributed in society.
• They understood that this unequal
distribution of resources reflected
a social hierarchy composed of
families with different class
interests based on the amount of
wealth, power, and prestige that
they controlled.
10. KARL MARX (1818 – 1883)
• Marx argued that social classes are characterized by their
relationship to the means of production.
• Marx identified two classes:
• The bourgeoisie, or the capitalist class, who own the
means of production (e.g., factories).
• The proletariat, or the working class, composed of those
individuals who must sell their labor to members of the
bourgeoisie for a wage in order to survive.
11. MAX WEBER
• Like Marx,Weber made the
distinction between those who
owned property and those who did
not.
• In contrast to Marx,Weber
allowed for more than two
distinct social classes and even
suggested that “the proletariat
were really a highly
differentiated group”
• Social class: “group
who share the same
economically shaped
life chances”
• An objective economic fact
12. 1. Economic Basis
• Occupation
• Wealth
• Income
• Poverty
3. Political Implications
• Power
• Class
Consciousness
2. Social Basis
• Prestige
• Association
• Socialization
• Social Mobility
13. ASSIGNING
INDIVIDUALS
TO SOCIAL
CLASSES
• The five indicators may be used
singly or in combination to establish
an individual’s class status.
• Methods normally used to classify
people into social classes include (all
are subjective):
• The reputational approach
• The subjective approach
• Objective approaches:
• 🞄 Single-item measures
• 🞄 Multiple-item measures
14. SOCIAL CLASS TYPES
• A five-class hierarchy
• Upper class (Upper – “Landed gentry”, Lower “New
money”)
• Upper-middle class (Professional class, Cultural
protectors)
• Lower-middle class (Moral compass of society,
“T
ypicalAmerican”)
• Upper-lower class (“Monotonous” existence)
• Lower-lower class
15. SOCIAL CLASS TYPES
Upper class (Upper – “Landed
gentry”, Lower “New
money”)
• Attend elite schools, old/new money,
in/not in the “register”
Upper-middle class
(Professional class, Cultural
protectors)
• Professionals, independent
businesspeople,corporate
executives
Lower-middle class (Moral
compass of society,“Typical
American”)
• Salespeople,clerical workers,
supervisors, construction
• contractors, small retail store
owners,“white collar”
16. SOCIAL CLASS TYPES
• Skilled and semi-skilled blue-
collar workers, narrow
existence
Upper-lower
class
(“Monotonous”
existence)
• Lower blue-collar workers,
the unemployed, families on
welfare, and unskilled workers
Lower-lower
class
17.
18. VALUES,
ATTITUDES,
AND
LIFESTYLES
ACROSS
SOCIAL
CLASSES
Social class is an important source
of beliefs, values, and behaviors
Different social classes value
education differently.
Attitudes toward family life, raising
children, the role of women, etc.
vary from class to class.
People in various social classes
exhibit markedly different lifestyles
19. Lower-class people are less likely to subscribe to
newspapers than are members of the middle class.
Choice of magazine is likely tied to education and
reading ability
• 🞄 Lower-middle class – Reader’s Digest, Ladies Home Journal
• 🞄 Upper-middle class –Time, SI,The NewYorker, etc.
Broadcast media choice also varies by social class
• 🞄 Lower-middle class – more responsive to audiovisual forms of
communication
20. • Lower-status consumers are
more receptive to advertising
that depicts activity, ongoing
work and life, expressions of
energy, etc.
• Upper-middle class
consumers are more
critical of advertising,
suspicious of emotional
appeals and skeptical of
claims
Influence on
Advertising
Acceptance
Observations
21. INFLUENCE
ON
SHOPPING
AND
CHOICE
BEHAVIOR
• Lower-class women are the most
“impulsive” about shopping.
• Outlet choice varies by social class (class
match very important)
• Upper-lower class women are likely to
respond to promotions offering
coupons or other special inducements
• Bowling,TV
,and bingo are favorite
lower-class leisure pursuits
• Most activities enjoyed by middle- and
upper-class people are less time
consuming than lower-class choices.
