Ch. 4: Demographics and Social Stratification
Demographics describe a population in terms of its size,
distribution, and structure.
• Size:
• Distribution:
• Structure:
Social Standing/Class
One’s position relative to others on one or more dimensions valued by society.
Socioeconomic
factors
Social
Standing
Unique
Behaviors
Occupation
Education
Ownership
Income
Heritage
Upper class
Middle class
Working class
Lower class
Preferences
Purchases
Consumption
Communication
1) Bounded, 2) ordered, 3) mutually exclusive, 4) exhaustive, and 5) influential.
Not All Behaviors within a Social Class Are Unique
Behaviors shared
with other social
classes
Behaviors associated
with a particular
social class
Unique
behaviors
Shared
behaviors
Excluded
behaviors
Behaviors not
engaged in
Percent Distribution of Five-Category
Social-Class Measure
SOCIAL CLASSES
Upper
Upper-middle
Middle
Working
Lower
Total percentage
PERCENTAGE
4.3
13.8
32.8
32.3
16.8
100.0
Social Class Groups
Social Class
UPPER
AMERICANS
(UPPER-UPPER,
LOWER-UPPER,
UPPER-MIDDLE)
(14 % of
population)
General Consumer Behavior
Social Class Groups (cont.)
Social Class
MIDDLE
CLASS
(32 % of
population)
General Consumer Behavior
Social Class Groups (cont.)
Social Class
WORKING
CLASS
(38 % of
population)
General Consumer Behavior
Social Class Groups (cont.)
Social Class
LOWER
AMERICANS
(16 % of
population)
General Consumer Behavior
Measuring 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)
Occupation Scale (Weight of 7)
Description
Higher executives of large concerns, proprietors, and
major professionals
Business managers, proprietors of medium-sized businesses,
and lesser professionals
Administrative personnel, owners of small businesses, and
minor professionals
Clerical and sales workers, technicians, and owners of little
businesses
Skilled manual employees
Machine operators and semiskilled employees
Unskilled employees
Score
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Hollingshead Index of Social Position (ISP)
Education Scale (Weight of 4)
Description
Professional (MA, MS, ME, MD, PhD, LLD, and the like)
Four-year college graduate (BA, BS, BM)
One to three years college (also business schools)
High school graduate
Ten to 11 years of school (part high school)
Seven to nine years of school
Less than seven years of school
Score
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Hollingshead Index of Social Position (ISP)
ISP score = (Occupation score X 7) + (Education score X 4)
Classification System
Description
Range of
Scores
Upper
Upper-middle
Middle
Lower-middle
Lower
11-17
18-31
32-47
48-63
64-77
Warner’s Index of Status Characteristics (ISC)
Score Occupation
Characteristics
Source of
House
Income
Type
Dwelling Area
1
Professionals and proprietors of large businesses
Inherited
wealth
Excellent
houses
Very high: Gold Coast,
North Shore, etc.
2
Semiprofessionals &
officials of large businesses
Earned
wealth
Very good
High: better suburbs &
apartment house areas
3
Clerks and kindred
workers
Profits &
fees
Good houses
Above average: areas all residential,
space around houses, apartments in
good condition
4
Skilled workers
Salary
Average
Average: residential neighborhoods,
houses no deterioration
5
Proprietors of small
businesses
Wages
Fair houses
Below average: area beginning to
deteriorate, business entering
6
Semiskilled workers
Private relief
Poor houses
Low: considerably deteriorated, run
down and semi-slum
7
Unskilled workers
Public relief &
nonrespectable
income
Very poor
houses
Very low: slum
Warner’s Index of Status Characteristics (ISC)
ISC score = (Occupation X 4) + (Income source X 3) + (House
type X 3) + (Dwelling area X 2)
Classification System
Social Strata
Upper-upper
Lower-upper
Upper-middle
Lower-middle
Upper-lower
Lower-lower
Range of
Scores
12-17
18-24
25-37
38-50
51-62
63-84
Population
Breakdown
1.4%
1.6
10.2
28.8
33.0
25.5
Census Bureau Index of Socioeconomic Status (SES)
Income
Category*
Score
Education
Category
Score
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
Professionals
90
$30,000 and over 100
Occupation
Category
Score
*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).
Census Bureau Index of Socioeconomic Status (SES)
SES score =
(Income) + (Education) + (Occupation)
3
Classification System
Social Strata
Range of
Scores
Upper
Upper-middle
Middle
Lower-middle
90-99
80-89
45-69
0-44
Population
Breakdown
15.1%
34.5
34.1
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).
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
Middle class
Aspirations
Prefer
Positioning
To belong to
upper-middle
class
Products
consumed by
upper-middle
class
Upper-middle
class
symbolism for
middle-class
products
Positioning Within Social Class
Working-class
aristocrats
Disdain
Prefer
Positioning
Upper-middle
class
Working-class
products and
brands
Working-class
symbolism for
working-class
products