The Great British class calculator

Traditional British social divisions of upper, middle and working class seem out of date in the 21st Century, no longer reflecting modern occupations or lifestyles.

The BBC teamed up with sociologists from leading universities to analyse the modern British class system. They surveyed more than 161,000 people and came up with a new model made up of seven groups.

See the categories below to explore the class groups

Archetypes
Elite
Percentage of population
6%

Average age 57

This is the wealthiest and most privileged group in the UK:

They are the UK's biggest earners
They score highest for social, cultural and economic factors
Many went to private school and elite universities - 24% of people in this group were privately educated, far more than in any other class group
This class is most likely to be found in London and the home counties
This group is exclusive and very hard to join, most come from very privileged backgrounds
97% of people in this group own their own home
Established middle class
Percentage of population
25%

Average age 46

This is the most gregarious and the second wealthiest of all the class groups:

People in this group enjoy a diverse range of cultural activities
They socialise with a broad range of people
Many work in management or the traditional professions
Most come from middle class backgrounds
They often live outside urban areas
Technical middle class
Percentage of population
6%

Average age 52

This is a small, distinctive and prosperous new class group:

People in this group tend to mix socially with people similar to themselves
They prefer emerging culture, such as using social media, to highbrow culture such as listening to classical music
Many people in this group work in research, science and technical occupations
They tend to live in suburban locations, often in the south east of England
They come from largely middle class backgrounds
New affluent workers
Percentage of population
15%

Average age 44

This class group is sociable, has lots of cultural interests and sits in the middle of all the groups in terms of wealth:

This youthful class group is economically secure, without being well off
These people have high scores for emerging culture, such as watching sport, going to gigs and using social media
They do not tend to participate in highbrow culture, such as classical music and theatre
People in this group are likely to come from a working class background
Many people in this group live in old manufacturing centres of the UK in the Midlands and North West
Traditional working class
Percentage of population
14%

Average age 66

This class group scores low for economic, social and cultural factors, but they do have some financial security:

Many people in this group own their own home
They tend to mix socially with people like themselves
They tend not to enjoy emerging culture, such as going to the gym or using social media
This group has the oldest average age
Jobs in this group include lorry drivers, cleaners and electricians
Emergent service workers
Percentage of population
19%

Average age 34

This class group is financially insecure with low scores for savings and house value, but high for social and cultural factors:

This is the youngest of all the class groups
People in this group have the highest score for emerging culture, which includes going to gigs, using social media and playing sport
They are an urban group, living in inexpensive locations in large cities like Liverpool and Newcastle
They socialise with a broad range of people
Jobs in this group include chefs, nursing auxiliaries and production assistants
Precariat
Percentage of population
15%

Average age 50

This is the poorest and most deprived class group. People in this group score low for economic, social and cultural factors:

They tend to mix socially with people like them
Jobs in this group include cleaner, van driver and care worker
They tend not to have a broad range of cultural interests
People in this group often live in old industrial areas away from urban centres
More than 80% rent their home
Your personal information is safe - all calculations are carried out on your computer
BBC Lab UK's Great British Class Survey was launched in January 2011. More than 161,000 people took part, making this the largest ever study of class in the UK
The Great British Class Survey was designed and the data analysed by Professors Mike Savage and Fiona Devine and their teams at the London School of Economics and the Universities of York and Manchester
The class calculator provides you with an approximate position in the new class system compared with the full Great British Class Survey