The notion of class is notoriously difficult to pin down. In the 19th century, the gentry were those that never worked but today, people that have never worked, along with the long-term unemployed, form the lowest rung of socio-economic classification for the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The Great British Class Survey results published by the BBC today claims to brush away the traditional upper, middle and working class categorisation and, based on the responses of over 161,000 people, attempts to replace it with the (less catchy?) Elite, Established Middle Class, Technical Middle Class, New Affluent Workers, Traditional Working Class, Emergent Service Workers and the Precarious Proletariat.
Changes in definition aren't just about changes in the socio-economic make up of Britain. They're as much about changes in the way we perceive what constitutes difference and similarity between ourselves.
So, where once riding a bike and having only one pair of shoes may have been an indicator of meagre earnings and weak social status, they might now suggest the ethical choices of a highly skilled professional. This is partly because the architecture of British social hierarchy has undergone huge shifts as a result of broader changes in social, economic and cultural life.
The fact that there are so many components that make up class - and that they are based on perceptions and belief as well as fact - makes social class extremely difficult to measure. The Great British Class Survey has nevertheless had a go. Here, we consider some of the merits and limitations of their research.