Questions and Answers
What is the definition of social class?
What does social stratification refer to?
Ranking of individuals into higher and lower social positions.
Social classes are __________, being based on numerous components.
multidimensional
What are the three main groupings of Americans acknowledged in modern views of social class?
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Which method of categorizing social class involves individuals ranking themselves?
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What is a key motivation of middle Americans?
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Lower Americans are typically unskilled workers and are referred to as disadvantaged.
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What primarily influences the consumer behavior of the working class?
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Match the following socioeconomic classes with their characteristics:
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What describes affluent Americans?
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What is geodemography?
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Study Notes
Social Class Concepts
- Social Class: Group of people sharing similar social, educational, or economic status.
- Social Stratification: Ranking of people into higher and lower social positions, creating a hierarchy of respect and prestige.
Characteristics of Social Class
- Exhibits Status: Rank is perceived by others, contributing to social reputation.
- Multidimensional Nature: Based on income, occupation, education, and housing characteristics.
- Homogeneity: Members share similar attitudes and behavior patterns within a class.
Methods to Categorize and Measure Social Class
- Subjective Method: Individuals rank themselves, often leading to inflated middle-class representation.
- Reputational Method: Community members rank one another based on social status.
- Objective Method: Uses measurable factors to rank individuals, such as SES, revealing a six-class system.
Problems in Social Class Determination
- Rankings can overlook inconsistencies in status dimensions (e.g., high income, low education).
- Assumes stability of social class, ignoring mobility effects.
- Only considers the categorized social class, neglecting influences from other classes.
- Often uses male wage earners as a family’s class indicator, ignoring contributions from women.
Upper Americans
- Upper-Upper Class: Locally prominent families focused on heritage, community responsibility, and gracious living.
- Lower-Upper Class: Nouveau riche, executive elite or founders of businesses, desiring high social status through visible wealth.
- Upper-Middle Class: College-educated professionals aiming for success, enjoying cultural and civic activities.
Affluent Americans
- Defined by high discretionary income divided into three types:
- Mass Affluent: Households earning $75,000-$149,999.
- Highly Affluent: Households earning $150,000-$249,999.
- Super Affluent: Households earning $250,000 or more.
Middle Americans
- Composed of non-managerial workers and small-business owners.
- Motivated by respectability and striving for social acceptance through home and community status.
Working Class
- Largest class comprising skilled and semiskilled workers.
- Focused on immediate gratification and stable relationships, often living to enjoy the present rather than save.
Lower Americans
- Generally disadvantaged, divided into:
- Upper-Lower Class: Working poor with low education and unstable employment.
- Lower-Lower Class: Below poverty line, often engaging in illegal activities or relying on welfare.
Consumer Behavior Insights
- Upper-Uppers: Conservative spending, often valuing experiences over goods, with possessions passed down.
- Lower-Uppers: Engaged in conspicuous consumption to demonstrate wealth and status.
- Upper-Middles: Make significant purchases to reflect success, often prioritizing experiences over material possessions.
- Middle Class: Purchase decisions focus on social acceptability and aesthetic appeal, avoiding extremes in luxury.
- Working Class: Driven by security needs and immediate satisfaction, with limited service-oriented spending.
- Lower Class: Compensatory consumption patterns, often with impulse buying tendencies due to lower education.
Shopping Behavior
- Consumers tend to shop in stores that match their perceived social class, avoiding places where they feel out of place.
Geodemography
- A segmentation method associating demographic data with geographical units to reveal lifestyle patterns affecting consumption.
Nielsen PRIZM
- A leading geodemographic segmentation tool utilizing education, affluence, family life cycle, urbanization, race, and mobility to classify consumer behavior.
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Description
This quiz covers key concepts related to social class as outlined in Chapter 9 of Consumer Behavior. It includes definitions and important characteristics of social classification and stratification. Test your understanding of how social class impacts consumer behavior.
