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Definitions of Social Grade
The Social Grade classification used by NRS was developed for the Survey over 50 years ago. It remains a highly effective way of classifying readers of different publications, and is widely used in planning advertising, not just in newspapers and magazines, but in other media too.
Social Grade is determined by the occupation of the Chief Income Earner (CIE) in each household. Additional criteria such the size of the organisation, and the number of people for which the CIE is responsible, are used to refine the process.
A brief description of the six grades is as follows:
| Social Grade | Social Status | CIE's Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| A | Upper Middle Class | Higher managerial, administrative or professional |
| B | Middle Class | Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional |
| C1 | Lower Middle Class | Supervisory or clerical and junior managerial, administrative or professional |
| C2 | Skilled Working Class | Skilled manual workers |
| D | Working Class | Semi and unskilled manual workers |
| E | Those at the lowest levels of subsistence | Casual or lowest grade workers, pensioners and others who depend on the state for their income |