Revealed: The social classes of modern age - Dinks, Alices and Henrys

"'When your parents were in their 20s and 30s, they probably had a job, a house and financial security,' he explained in an article for The Conversation. 'A generation later, you get a variety of food they could not have imagined, low-cost air travel and a smartphone more powerful than the fastest supercomputers of the 1990s. 'This new reality is leading to the resurgence of a different kind of class identification for young people.'"

"'Dinks' are couples with dual incomes and no kids, who choose things like technology, travel and restaurants over raising a family. 'Henrys' are high earners who are not rich yet, while 'Alices' are asset-limited, income-constrained and employed. 'What unites today's Henrys, Alices and Dinks is they can enjoy consumption levels their parents in the same social class would never have imagined, but can't buy the same house as them,' Dr Foucart added."

"Social class is used to measure a person's status or position within society - with the traditional categories being working class, middle class, and upper class. In terms of how Britons see themselves, a recent survey by YouGov found that 56 per cent of the public consider themselves to be working class, while 36 per cent describe themselves as middle class. 'Less than one per cent of the public identify as "upper class",' YouGov said."

Young people now align with categories such as Dinks, Henrys and Alices. Dinks are dual-income, no-kids couples prioritising technology, travel and dining over raising children. Henrys are high earners who are not yet wealthy. Alices are asset-limited, income-constrained but employed. These groups can access higher consumption than previous generations in similar classes but often cannot afford equivalent housing. Social class continues to measure status using working, middle and upper class labels, yet self-identification shows 56% view themselves as working class, 36% as middle class and under 1% as upper class. Shifts in mobility and lifestyles support alternative class definitions.

Read at Mail Online