Page 197 - Foundations of Marketing

164 Part 3 | Customer Behavior and E-Marketing

Table 6.4 Social Class Behavioral Traits and Purchasing Characteristics

Class (Percent of
Population) Behavioral Traits Buying Characteristics
Upper Americans

Upper-upper ( 0.5 ) Social elite Children attend private preparatory schools and best
Of aristocratic, prominent families colleges
Inherited their position in society Do not consume ostentatiously
Spend money on private clubs, various causes, and the arts

Lower-upper ( 3.8 ) Newer social elite Purchase material symbols of their status, such as large,
Successful professionals earning suburban houses and expensive automobiles
very high incomes Provide a substantial market for luxury product offerings
Earned their position in society Visit museums and attend live theater
Spend money on skiing, golf, swimming, and tennis

Upper-middle ( 13.8 ) Career-oriented, professional Provide a substantial market for quality product offerings
degree holders Family lifestyle characterized as gracious yet careful
Demand educational attainment of Spend money on movies, gardening, and photography
their children
Middle Americans

Middle class ( 32.8 ) “Typical” Americans Greatly value living in a respected neighborhood and keep
Work conscientiously and adhere to their homes well furnished
culturally defi ned standards Generally price sensitive
Average-pay, white-collar workers Adopt conventional consumption tastes and consult
Attend church and obey the law category experts
Often very involved in children’s Spend on family-oriented, physical activities, such as fi shing,
school and sports activities camping, boating, and hunting

Working class ( 32.3 ) Average-pay, blue-collar workers Reside in small houses or apartments in depressed areas
Live a routine life with unchanging Impulsive as consumers yet display high loyalty to national
day-to-day activities brands
Hold jobs that entail manual labor Seek best bargains
and moderate skills Enjoy leisure activities such as local travel and recreational
Some are union members parks
Socially not involved in civic or church
activities, limit social interaction to
close neighbors and relatives

Lower Americans
Upper-lower ( 9.5 ) Low-income individuals who Living standard is just above poverty
generally fail to rise above this class Seek pleasure whenever possible, especially through
Reject middle-class morality impulse purchases
Frequently purchase on credit
Lower-lower ( 7.3 ) Some are on welfare and may be Spend on products needed for survival
homeless Able to convert discarded goods into usable items
Poverty stricken
Some have strong religious beliefs
Some are unemployed
In spite of their problems, often
good-hearted toward others
May be forced to live in less
desirable neighborhoods

Sources: Roger D. Blackwell, Paul W. Miniard, and James F. Engel, Consumer Behavior , 10th ed. (Mason, OH: Cengage Learning, 2005); “The Continuing
Signifi cance of Social Class Marketing,” Journal of Consumer Research 10 (Dec. 1983): 265–280; Eugene Sivadas, George Mathew, and David J. Curry,
“A Preliminary Examination of the Continued Signifi cance of Social Class in Marketing,” Journal of Consumer Marketing 14, no. 6 (1997): 463–469.

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