Ch. 4: Demographics and Social Stratification

Demographics describe a population in terms of its size, distribution, and structure.

• Size:

• Distribution:

• Structure:

Social Standing/ClassSocial Standing/Class

Socioeconomicfactors

OccupationEducationOwnership

IncomeHeritage

SocialStanding

Upper classMiddle class

Working classLower class

UniqueBehaviors

PreferencesPurchases

ConsumptionCommunication

One’s position relative to others on one or more dimensions valued by society.

1) Bounded, 2) ordered, 3) mutually exclusive, 4) exhaustive, and 5) influential.

Not All Behaviors within a Social Class Are UniqueNot All Behaviors within a Social Class Are Unique

Behaviors associatedwith a particularsocial class

Behaviors sharedwith other socialclasses

Behaviors notengaged in

Excludedbehaviors

Unique Sharedbehaviors behaviors

Percent Distribution of Five-Category Social-Class Measure

SOCIAL CLASSES PERCENTAGE

Upper 4.3Upper-middle 13.8Middle 32.8Working 32.3Lower 16.8

Total percentage 100.0

Social Class Groups

Social Class General Consumer Behavior

UPPER AMERICANS

(UPPER-UPPER,LOWER-UPPER,UPPER-MIDDLE)

(14 % of population)

Social Class General Consumer Behavior

MIDDLECLASS

(32 % of population)

Social Class Groups (cont.)

Social Class General Consumer Behavior

WORKINGCLASS

(38 % of population)

Social Class Groups (cont.)

Social Class General Consumer Behavior

LOWER AMERICANS

(16 % of population)

Social Class Groups (cont.)

Measuring Social StatusMeasuring Social Status

• Single-Item Indexes– Education– Occupation (Socioeconomic Index: SEI)– Income

• Relative Occupational Class Income• Subjective Discretionary Income

• Multi-Item Indexes– Hollingshead Index of Social Position– Warner’s Index of Status Characteristics– Census Bureau’s Index of Socioeconomic Status

Hollingshead Index of Social Position (ISP)Hollingshead Index of Social Position (ISP)

Occupation Scale (Weight of 7)Description Score

Higher executives of large concerns, proprietors, and 1major professionals

Business managers, proprietors of medium-sized businesses, 2and lesser professionals

Administrative personnel, owners of small businesses, and 3minor professionals

Clerical and sales workers, technicians, and owners of little 4businesses

Skilled manual employees 5

Machine operators and semiskilled employees 6

Unskilled employees 7

Hollingshead Index of Social Position (ISP)Hollingshead Index of Social Position (ISP)

Education Scale (Weight of 4)Description Score

Professional (MA, MS, ME, MD, PhD, LLD, and the like) 1

Four-year college graduate (BA, BS, BM) 2

One to three years college (also business schools) 3

High school graduate 4

Ten to 11 years of school (part high school) 5

Seven to nine years of school 6

Less than seven years of school 7

Hollingshead Index of Social Position (ISP)Hollingshead Index of Social Position (ISP)

ISP score = (Occupation score X 7) + (Education score X 4)

Classification System Range of

Description Scores

Upper 11-17

Upper-middle 18-31

Middle 32-47

Lower-middle 48-63

Lower 64-77

Warner’s Index of Status Characteristics (ISC)Warner’s Index of Status Characteristics (ISC)

1 Professionals and pro- Inherited Excellent Very high: Gold Coast, prietors of large businesses wealth houses North Shore, etc.

2 Semiprofessionals & Earned Very good High: better suburbs & officials of large businesses wealth apartment house areas

3 Clerks and kindred Profits & Good houses Above average: areas all residential, workers fees space around houses, apartments in

good condition

4 Skilled workers Salary Average Average: residential neighborhoods, houses no deterioration

5 Proprietors of small Wages Fair houses Below average: area beginning to businesses deteriorate, business entering

6 Semiskilled workers Private relief Poor houses Low: considerably deteriorated, run down and semi-slum

7 Unskilled workers Public relief & Very poor Very low: slumnonrespectable housesincome

Characteristics Source of House

Score Occupation Income Type Dwelling Area

Upper-upper 12-17 1.4%

Lower-upper 18-24 1.6

Upper-middle 25-37 10.2

Lower-middle 38-50 28.8

Upper-lower 51-62 33.0

Lower-lower 63-84 25.5

Classification System

Range of PopulationSocial Strata Scores Breakdown

Warner’s Index of Status Characteristics (ISC)Warner’s Index of Status Characteristics (ISC)

ISC score = (Occupation X 4) + (Income source X 3) + (House type X 3) + (Dwelling area X 2)

Census Bureau Index of Socioeconomic Status (SES)Census Bureau Index of Socioeconomic Status (SES)

Under $3,000 15 Some grade school 10 Laborers 20

$3,000-$4,999 31 Grade school graduate 23 Students 33

$5,000-$7,999 62 Some high school 42 Service workers 34

$7,500-$9,999 84 High school graduate 67 Operators 58

$10,000-$14,999 94 Some college 86 Craftsmen 58

$15,000-$19,999 97 College graduate 93 Clerical sales 71

$20,000-$29,999 99 Graduate school 98 Managers 81

$30,000 and over 100 Professionals 90

*Note: Income levels should be adjusted by consumer price index before using.Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Methodology and Scores of the Socioeconomic Status, Working Paper No. 15 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1963).

Income Education OccupationCategory* Score Category Score Category Score

Census Bureau Index of Socioeconomic Status (SES)Census Bureau Index of Socioeconomic Status (SES)

(Income) + (Education) + (Occupation)SES score =

3

Upper 90-99 15.1%

Upper-middle 80-89 34.5

Middle 45-69 34.1

Lower-middle 0-44 16.3

*Note: Income levels should be adjusted by consumer price index before using.Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Methodology and Scores of the Socioeconomic Status, Working Paper No. 15(Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1963).

Classification System

Range of PopulationSocial Strata Scores Breakdown

Problem with the multi-item indexes

• A person with under seven years of school who started a small manufacturing firm which later grew into a medium sized firm of which he is now president.

• A person with an MA in English owns and operates a very small bookstore located near the university specializing in classical literature.

“Upward Pull” Strategy Targeted at Middle Class“Upward Pull” Strategy Targeted at Middle Class

Middle class Aspirations

To belong to upper-middle

class

Prefer

Products consumed by upper-middle

class

Positioning

Upper-middle class

symbolism for middle-class

products

Positioning Within Social ClassPositioning Within Social Class

Working-class aristocrats

Disdain

Upper-middle class

Prefer

Working-class products and

brands

Positioning

Working-class symbolism for working-class

products