#Identified | Middle Class

[xtruss]

Steady 54% of Americans Identify As Middle Class! More Republicans, Fewer Democrats Identify As Working Class And Lower Class

— By Megan Brenan | News.Gallup.Com | May 23, 2024

Washington, D.C. — Fifty-four percent of Americans identify as part of the middle class, including 39% who say they are “middle class” and 15% “upper-middle class.” Another 31% consider themselves “working class” and 12% “lower class.” Just 2% of U.S. adults characterize themselves as “upper class.”

These readings are generally in line with those since the Great Recession. Before then, Americans were typically more likely to self-identify as members of the middle or upper-middle class and less likely to say they belonged to the working or lower class.

The latest findings are from Gallup’s annual Economy and Personal Finance poll, conducted April 1-22. This is the 11th reading on this measure from the annual survey since 2002.

From 2002 through 2006, an average of 61% of Americans considered themselves middle or upper-middle class; however, that dropped to 56% in 2008, at the start of the Great Recession -- and since then, the figure has averaged 53%. Meanwhile, the combined percentage of U.S. adults identifying as working or lower class has increased from an average of 37% pre-recession to 45% since.

Social class identification has generally been stable since 2019, even as Americans' ratings of the U.S. economy have grown significantly worse.

Education and Income Influence Social Class Identification

Historically, Americans’ self-identified social class has been largely influenced by their income and education levels. U.S. adults with higher annual household incomes and those with college and postgraduate degrees are most likely to say they belong to the upper or upper-middle class. Americans with lower incomes and those with only a high school education are most likely to identify as working or lower class.

Older Americans, White adults and Democrats are also more likely than their counterparts to identify as members of the middle class.

Although Americans’ social class identification has been consistently related to their education and income levels, the relationship with other characteristics, particularly party, has changed over time.

Partisans’ Class Identification Has Shifted in Recent Years

Until 2022, Republicans were more likely than Democrats to identify as upper-middle or middle class and less likely to identify as working or lower class. However, in the past two readings, the trend has been reversed, with Democrats more likely than Republicans to identify as upper-middle or middle class. Meanwhile, Republicans now lead in combined identification as working or lower class.

Still, a slim majority of Republicans (53%) consider themselves upper-middle or middle class and 46% as working or lower class.

Bottom Line

The Great Recession appears to have caused Americans to reevaluate their social class. Still, despite persistently high inflation and weak economic confidence over the past few years, a slim majority of Americans continue to identify as members of the middle class. Educational attainment and income level have consistently been closely linked to U.S. adults’ social class identification. In recent years, Republicans have become more likely to identify as working and lower class, while Democrats have shifted to characterize themselves more as upper-middle and middle class.

— View Complete Question Responses and Trends:

[entropyvoid]

Golden Hour (+ lineart below cut)

I took a picture of the lines for once and did some basic crappy photo editing on my phone, so you could probably print this out and use it as a coloring page or something if you so wish lol. Do with it what you will.

[weed-cat]

.

[swagging-back-to]

so my female housemate ((the one who said 'trump is the more sensible of the two)) told my male housemate that i was crying this morning and the first thing he did when he got back was laugh and mock me asking if im doing better now

then 'tell me you didnt actually cry because trump won'

my response was 'in a few weeks, you will be, too.'

[freebooter4ever]

ok im listening to the doc and wow this dude really needs to move on from the 80s and get a life... BUT also the doc is trying to make it seem like all teens in the 80s 'identified' with these characters? is that true for you guys? i never did. but i also didnt identify with clue*less or even vero*nica mars which was pretty solidly my era. the doc is trying to claim that this hegemony of 'identification' is a good thing and that the multiple options of today is making it harder for teens to relate to each other as a group. but the doc is saying this from the pov of a rich white dude. i would argue that today's much broader representation - watching a korean american girl starring in her own teen girl rom com where she is shown to look past the racism of the 80s movies in order to enjoy sixteen c*andles.... I think that is a million times better than what came before. the definition of who could tell stories in the 80s was so much more narrow, it was absurd. and to all the boys was blatantly critiquing that. it was supposed to be sad that lara jean is forced to endure stereotypes just to get her movie romance fix. it's also notable in that movie that lara jean identified most with books, where you could kind of imagine a main character however you wanted even if technically you knew they didnt look like you.

tldr my question to my other 30 somethings would be if 'br*at pack' was ever a bad thing in your lifetime and if you actually identified with these kids in the movies who seemed to have no direction or care in life beyond their tiny little suburban world. cause that was certainly never me as a teen lol. fascinating to watch and fun to imagine living as but not relatable.

[barnbridges]

not to say it but. people on the internet use their "intersectional" feminist perspective just to like. pick and choose which issues of other groups they care about or belong to and then shit on that women in this world who aren't in their specific niche of approved identities.

[nostalgia-tblr]

How do you know so much about historical succession rules? Is it a special interest or did you study history/related field? Letting you know I really enjoy your rants about it.

I do have a degree in Modern History, though having typed that I think the name may be misleading as "Modern" was anything from 1500 CE onwards and I did a lot of 18th century stuff. (I did a bit of Medieval History as well, but only the first two years. Ironically that was because I got sick of everything being about kings all the fucking time!) That was years ago, but I've kept an interest in history since then.

But my knowledge of European (mostly English) monarchies isn't really from that (I mostly did revolutions back at uni) it's that mental health issues stopped me reading books for YEARS and then I somehow discovered (can't remember how) that I could cope with historical novels of the Philippa Fucking Gregory sort, which is maybe odd but we do live in an odd world. This has since allowed me back into other genres and also into non-fictional history, and (you can see where this is going, right?) left me knowing a fair bit about roughly the Tudor period of English history.

Now, I don't like monarchies. I do my best not to know too much about the current British lot - spitefully so, even! - but that bit of time from about the Wars of the Roses to the end of the Tudors is part soap-opera and part-trainwreck. The sort of WTF drama that you just cannot look away from. Everyone's related to everyone else and there's quite a lot of scandal and murder and that sort of thing. This is how I, such an obvious intellectual, got drawn into the world of not-exactly-literary historical novels, aided by my existing knowledge of the vague plot outlines that I learned at university. And I just sort of picked up more information as I read the same few stories over and over again written by different authors.

For those lucky enough not to have been consumed by this stuff, the main plot of both the Wars of the Roses and the Tudor era monarchy is "oh no, mah succession!! D: D:" so this is why I know that stuff specifically. Luckily for everyone this has only fairly recently been in any way relevant to any fandom I'm in, though the historian in me must here point out that Early Medieval Scandanavian Monarchy Rules aren't always the same as Early Modern English Succession Rules, but I don't think the MCU knows that either and fuck it everyone in these films has magic powers anyway.

It's not a special interest as I am not neurodiverse (at least in that specific way) I'm just a bit weird and also a nerd.

[magnoliamyrrh]

by this point when i see balkan ppl who think the solution to things is as ethnically pure as possible ethnostates whichever way this is spun i just want to hit them square in the head with a pan. the most effective way to deal with this? yea probably not. is this what i want to do? yes.

[the-busy-ghost]

Me: Ah nice I'll just have a little nap and then get on with my reading

My brain, an hour and a half later: 'Now let's go back and talk further about George Kirrin...'

[pulquedeguayaba]

Today was the day of sitting in the bus next to very fucking weird guys who start singing aloud whatever the fuck they want without them listening to music. (Usually buses here the driver puts music they like and the rest of us roll with it or use headphones). At least the second one fell asleep, unlike the first thst was ugly and annoying and pretty sure dudes an incel.

[storms-and-sourdough]

When someone calls me sir >>>>> or gentleman >>>>>>>>>

[sukunasweetheart]

Sukuna, a middle aged man jaded by the harsh realities of his life. He steps outside for a smoke nearby a convenience store, completely bored out of his mind.

A lady is handing out flyers nearby, although nobody is bothering to look her way, including sukuna himself.

You approach the man who's getting irritated by the lighter that refuses to work in his hand.

"Hello there, sir. Would you be interested in taking up classes for arts and craft?" You offer the cute flyer up.

Sukuna scoffs. Is she serious?

"No thanks."

"Are you sure? You look like you could use a bit more colour in your life."

He's too exhausted at this point to get angry at a random woman on the street.

"...You're not too far off, i suppose," sukuna mutters, still trying to get the spark to stay on his lighter. "Even so, I'm not interested in the likes of arts and craft. Do i look like a child to you?"

You withdraw your offer of your flyer, and inspect him for a moment.

"Arts and craft can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of age. But moving past that... you seem a bit down. If you'd like to confide in a stranger for a night, I'm happy to listen."

What a strange, persistent woman. Sukuna gives up on his lighter, and takes out the unlit cigarette in his mouth to think back for a moment. One thing does come to mind.

"I'm not feeling down. But i remembered something, now that i think about it..." he confesses, feeling weirdly compelled to tell you about it.

"Today is supposed to be my birthday."

Birthdays have never been special to him. Nobody celebrated his birth as a child, and in turn, he's never paid attention to the birthdays of others.

"Oh, happy birthday. Are you doing anything special for yourself today?"

"No. I've never cared for birthdays. And I'm getting too old for that anyway."

"Well, that won't do... Hold on for a second."

Puzzled, sukuna looks back at you but you've already gone inside the convenience store. Whatever you're up to now, couldn't possibly be more enticing than getting in a proper smoke right now. Sukuna begins to zone out.

He only snaps out of it when something mildly cold grazes past his cheek, leaving a ticklish and moist sensation on his skin as it disappears upon impact.

Bubbles. Bubbles are flying past him, and floating away into the sky.

For a moment, he gets mesmerised by the swirl of colours that are harboured in each one. Even just from the light of this dingy street, they fly up while holding a multitude of different colours inside them. Time seems to slow for a split second, and he doesn't understand why.

His gaze follows the trail to identify it's source. And unsurprisingly, it's you, standing behind him. You blow a couple more out, and then grin at him childishly. He finally looks at your face properly for the first time.

"Birthday bubbles. For the birthday man," you chuckle sheepishly, knowing that you probably look a bit silly right now. You put the bubble wand back into the small bottle of the soapy mixture, and screw it tightly.

"Here, you can have it. Next time you're feeling a bit antsy, why don't you try blowing some yourself? They're pretty, aren't they?"

You also hand him a different small item.

"And i also threw in a little something else, while i was at it."

He looks down, and sees that it's a new lighter. He slowly pulls his hand out of his pocket to take both of them from your hands.

"I hope you get to do something more special next year. Birthdays are supposed to be joyful, after all," you comment.

"Thanks for putting up with my nosiness. Farewell."

And then you leave him after a quick wave.

Sukuna stares wordlessly as you walk off, wondering what to name this ticklish feeling rising in the pit of his stomach.

The small bottle in his palm reminds him of a moment in his childhood. Kids in the park bragging about their bubble wands that were gifted to them. the laughs that resounded as they all ran off to catch the fragile spheres as they blew away in the wind. The tiny feelings of envy in his heart.

The item he tucks away into his pocket is the lighter. And when nobody is watching, he blows a couple more bubbles into the night sky.

-

Every time he passes by that convenience store, the thought of you comes to his mind. A flashback of your smile in the back of his mind. Every so often, he comes to this particular store. Despite having closer options, he comes to this specific one.

At times, sukuna regrets not taking one of the flyers that you were handing out. He wouldn't have had to mope around a convenience store in hopes of running into you again.

Today is a rainy day, and this calls for a hot piping cup of instant ramen. He doesn't usually enjoy convenience store food, but he wants a reason to stay around inside for a bit longer.

He needs to wait five minutes for the noodles to soften. In this time, he stares out the glass frame of the store, and watches the various rows of people walking past with their umbrellas opened.

There appears to be one anomaly in the crowd, however. Running without shelter from the rain, clutching her bag as if it contains something important in there. Sukuna realises that it's you.

Forgetting about his instant ramen, sukuna grabs his umbrella and dashes out the door.

You're mildly panicking about being stuck behind the red light at the zebra crossing without anything to save you from the rain, but the sensation of the droplets hitting your body come to a stop all too suddenly.

You look up, and there's a black umbrella sheltering you, big and strong looking. You spin around and recognise the stranger with pink hair and sharp eyes. Seemingly out of breath.

He signals to the light that has now turned green behind you, and ushers you forward to cross the road before you can say anything to him.

Now safely on the other side of the road, you begin to converse with him.

"It's you! Hello. Thank you for sheltering me. How have you been?"

"... So-so. Nothing's changed since the last time we met."

"I see. You look better than last time, though." You get the feeling that his eyes have a little more light in them.

Sukuna doesn't really get what you mean, but he moves on.

"What’s in your bag that's so important for you to be protecting it like that?" He asks, effectively changing the topic.

"Oh, this? I literally just bought some brand new origami paper... i can't risk getting them wet and unusable. The children would be disappointed."

"Origami, huh? How original."

"Hey! That's not all... there's a lot of options i offer them. They voted on origami this time."

"You got a lot of people signed up?"

"Not really... but I'm sure it'll start picking up soon. Slowly, one at a time."

You smile up at him hopefully.

"...is the offer still open?"

You cock your head to the side slightly, confused. Sukuna grits his teeth, feeling a little bashful about having to ask more specifically.

"You know. Lessons for grown adults."

"Oh! Of course, anytime! Would you like to come sign up today?"

"Do you offer one-on-one sessions too?"

"Yes, I do."

"Alright. Let’s go."

Sukuna can't fathom the words that are coming out of his own mouth. But fuck it, what's the worst that could happen? You've somehow intriged him, and he can't think of a better way to approach you.

You chatter his ears off along the way, and he nods along while his shoulder gets wet from the way he leans his umbrella closer to your side.

[saraa-lancee]

ngl it's funny that you're willing to demonise all autistic people just to make sure a label is only applied to hyperspecific situations. being autistic is not an excuse to be weird towards women or cross boundaries - can it help explain it? yes. but autistic incels exist and implying they don't and normalising that sort of behaviour as an autistic trait 1) is ableist, and implies that autistic people have no control over their own behaviour, and 2) invalidates victims and survivors of sexual violence at the hands of men who happen to be autistic. its also dangerous.

just saying. mentality like that meant that, as an autistic teenager, I allowed close friends to take advantage of me because the line was blurred and it was much easier to rationalise and excuse. and it's scary to me to see that culture normalised because it stems from the patriarchal definition and understanding of autism. autistic people know right from wrong and do not hurt people by default.

I'm not attacking you, but rather hoping to just offer an alternative perspective. I hope you are having a nice day.

Lmao hello Anon.

I'm going to provide an "alternate" for you-- I didn't demonize autistic people. I am an autistic person who has struggled with understanding boundaries in the past. I am defending autistic people by pointing out that Weird and Incel are Aboslutely Not The Same, which, if you y'know, read, is the entire point of the whole fucking post! But please, tell me you enjoy conflating Wierd Characters with violent rapists. I'm here all day-- I can't wait to read this.

I also, literally in that post, pretty much said exactly what you said. No where did I say all autistic people intentionally hurt people. In fact, I believe I even stated that when Autistic people *do cross* boundaries, it's not always intentionally. But let's also not pretend that autistic people never hurt others. I'm sorry that happened to you anon, I really am. Lots of autistic people also have stories like that, and it's disgusting people are so ready to take advantage of us. I'm also sorry that you think I don't know this perspective already as an autistic Afab person-- nice assumption about me and my life. But I think you're the one who might need the new perspective here if you don't seem to realize that yeah, autistic people absolutely can be the perpetrators in a blurred line situation. Unfortunately, lots and lots of people also have stories were the were hurt *by* an autistic person. "Hurt" as in physically or psychologically (not just sexually), because as a 5 foot nothing woman having a tall man (autistic or not) forcefully grab you in public or start screaming at you can be fucking terrifying.

Autistic people aren't just victims, anon. Acting like we can only be victims is kinda like... infantilizing or something. Sorry, but in an uncertain consent situation, an autistic person can also Assault someone because they didn't understand enthusiastic consent (ie, don't understand the nuances of YES! Vs Well, okay... or how consent can become questionable in situations where substances are involved). This all assumes innocence as well-- believe it or not, some autistic people are like, bad people (they also still deserve to be viewed like full adults but also viewed fairly rather than ostracizated unfairly).

My bad, im just rambling. Once again, reading comprehension. You're just intentionally ignoring my origional point, which is that you absolutely cannot just call a character who you deem weird an Incel. Which is the entire fucking point of the post but once again, fantastic selective reading Choice. When I said we shouldn't view Weird Character as a violent proponent of Rape and violence against women, I was 100% definitely demonizing Autistic people. (I remember literally saying "this doesn't apply just to autistic people" with the specific stipulation that he is autistic coded to me, but being autistic isn't the only factor here, proving that you literally chose not to read/to assign language I didn't use and a viewpoint I don't have to me. As an autistic person, this is black and white, and that's *not what I fucking said*. Try again anon).

Again. The entire point was defending "weirdos". Since, y'know. Most Weirdos (affectionately, as a weirdo myself) are demonized (being labeled as an Incel is definitely a demonization, btw. Which again. Was the POINT OF THE FUCKIN POST).

Idk why I'm writing this, you people will read whatever you want from it and not what I'm actually saying, so whatever. Autistic people are unfairly victimized by society-- including this whole Incel business. You were victimized, and I am sincerely sorry for that. But if we view autistic people as, y'know, dynamic people, we have to accept it goes both ways and come to the understanding that all this isn't even about all that. It's about refusing to assign extreme malcontent to someone based on Wierd.

Anyway, long live the weirdos demonized in popular culture. Long live everyone who's been shunned and judged for "acting wierd" and long live everyone who's exclusion erased their chance for a "normal" "adjusted" life.

Have a good day, *anon*.

[resplendentmackerelsky]

Saw someone talking about this research article that claimed that mid-Victorian Britons had the healthiest diet in history...

And like as a historian, that's total bullshit. Those bitches were eating bread adulterated with fucking plaster.

[ryukisgod]

I asked my mother this (she likes to yell at low level customer service workers), and she genuinely believes that the customer service worker will pass on the complaint to their boss, and the complaint will reach someone with the authority to change company policy.

She also believes that most customer service workers are stupid (she identifies as middle class), and that it’s ok to be mean to “stupid” people.

why do customers think the person working the cash register has any real authority over how the store is run? i'm not venting, i'm honestly curious if there's some culture or psychology thing or convoluted line of logic that feeds into it.

Posted by admin Rodney.

[spouseoftherisingsun]

Re: your Tom post, Orange County Florida or Orange County California??? lol (probably both)

California, specifically was thinking about Newport Beach but not exclusively