Six in 10 U.S. adults now say the term “working class” describes them extremely or very well, with the identity extending well beyond blue-collar and lower-income Americans and showing a notable Republican advantage, according to new Pew Research Center polling.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The meaning of “working class” has expanded far beyond traditional measures of occupation and income, with 60% of U.S. adults now saying the label describes them extremely or very well, according to new Pew Research Center polling.
That share has risen from 54% in 2024, suggesting that working-class identification is becoming an increasingly broad social and political identity rather than a category defined only by factory work, trades or lower earnings.
The designation remains most common among Americans without four-year college degrees and those with middle incomes, but Pew found that it also reaches deeply into groups not traditionally associated with the term.
Half of college graduates describe themselves as working class, as do half of upper-income Americans.
Even among adults who comfortably cover expenses, consistently pay their bills and maintain several months of emergency savings, 50% still identify with the label.
Occupation provides only a partial explanation.
While 77% of blue-collar workers say “working class” describes them extremely or very well, 61% of people employed in other types of jobs say the same.
The findings point to a constituency that is much larger and more diverse than conventional economic definitions would suggest.
That breadth has made the term increasingly important in national politics as Republicans and Democrats compete for working-class voters ahead of the November midterm elections.
Pew found Republicans are considerably more likely than Democrats to embrace the identity.
Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 67% identify as working class, compared with 55% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents.
The difference remains even when income, educational attainment, occupation and personal financial circumstances are taken into account.
The partisan divide is especially pronounced among Americans with higher incomes.
Among upper-income Republicans, 61% call themselves working class, compared with 38% of upper-income Democrats.
A similar divide appears among adults who describe themselves as financially comfortable. Sixty percent of Republicans in that group identify as working class, compared with 39% of Democrats.
College education does not erase the gap.
Among Americans with four-year degrees, 56% of Republicans identify as working class, compared with 44% of Democrats.
Those figures help explain why both parties have increasingly centered working-class appeals in their political messaging.
Republicans have built a growing portion of their electoral coalition around voters without college degrees and people employed in blue-collar or physically demanding occupations.
Democrats, meanwhile, have been debating how to regain support among voters who once formed a larger part of the party’s base but have increasingly moved toward Republicans in recent elections.
Economic dissatisfaction adds to the political importance of the issue.
A separate Pew survey conducted in July found that only 24% of Americans rated current economic conditions as excellent or good.
Voters were nearly evenly divided over which party better reflected their views on economic policy. Thirty-seven percent said they agreed more with Democrats, while 36% sided with Republicans.
The combination of widespread economic unease and broad working-class identification means politicians using the term are addressing far more than a narrow segment of the electorate.
Pew’s findings indicate that many Americans with higher incomes, college degrees and relatively secure personal finances still view themselves through a working-class lens.
For those voters, the designation may reflect attitudes about work, economic security, cultural identity or political affiliation as much as a particular paycheck or occupation.
The survey was conducted Jan. 20-26 among 8,512 U.S. adults through Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel.
Pew did not provide a margin of error specifically for the working-class identification findings.
Original article
Comments