UK Consumer Demographics

UK Consumer Demographics

UK Consumer Demographics

Demographic classifications in the UK refer to the social grade definitions, which are used to describe, measure and classify people of different social grade and income and earnings levels, for market research, social commentary, lifestyle statistics, and statistical research and analysis.

The National Readership Survey (NRS) is a non-profit but commercial British survey concerned with monitoring, analyzing and providing estimates on the number and nature of people who read Britain’s newspapers and consumer magazines. It is funded by the UK Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA), and Periodical Publishers Association (PPA).

The social grade definitions by the NRS are widely used as a generic reference series for classifying and describing social classes, especially for consumer targeting and consumer market research by the advertising UK media and publishing sectors.

Social GradeSocial StatusOccupation
AUpper Middle Class higher managerial, administrative or professional
BMiddle Class intermediate managerial, administrative or professional
C1Lower Middle Class supervisory or clerical, junior managerial, administrative or professional
C2Skilled Working Class skilled manual workers
DWorking Classsemi and unskilled manual workers
EThose at lowest level of subsistence state pensioners or widows (no other earner), casual or lowest grade workers