PRINCETON, NJ -- One of the major changes in Al Gore's campaign in recent weeks has been his verbal focus on the "workers" of America and the "working family." In his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, for example, Gore used the term "working" frequently, and made it a part of what was perhaps the key sentence in the entire speech: "And so here tonight, in the name of all the working families who are the strength and soul of America -- I accept your nomination for President of the United States."
How well does this phrase describe Americans?
A typical sociological approach to identifying social class is to show people a list of classes and ask them to choose the one that they feel best fits their current situation. Using this technique, with "working class" embedded in a list of five classes (including upper class, upper middle class, middle class, working class and lower class) just 30% of the public chooses working class (based on recent Gallup poll results). Almost half choose middle class, while about 18% say that they are upper middle or upper class.
It is interesting to note, as a sidelight, that very few Americans are willing to put themselves into the highest or lowest classes. Just 3% say they are upper class, and just 3% say they are lower class. It appears that, no matter what one's net worth or income, the terms "upper" and "lower" are not attractive distinctions to apply to oneself. The vast majority of us like to think of ourselves as middle or working.
In this list context, identifying oneself as working class is strongly related to income. The lower one's income, the higher the probability that "working class" is the label of choice. Only 5% of those making $75,000 or more say that they are in the working class, while over half of those making under $30,000 a year say they are in the working class.
But what happens when we simply ask people if they belong in the working class or consider themselves to be members of a "working family" -- using a yes or no question -- without giving them any other alternatives?
Here we find a major shift. Eighty-two percent of Americans say that working class fits "you and your family" in response to the more straightforward question. And, when we use the term favored by Gore, "working family," we find that 83% of all Americans say it applies to them. The term "working family" is acceptable to Democrats, Republicans and independents -- and seems to be just as appropriate for those making high levels of income as it is for those who are not. In fact, 83% of those making $75,000 a year or more say they are in a working family, and 75% of those who have post-graduate degrees identify with the phrase.
All in all, if the Gore campaign's intentions are to directly target lower income, blue-collar families, then the term "working" is absolutely on target. Even when given a choice of four other categories, these lower income individuals are likely to choose the working class label to describe themselves.
But, if Gore is casting his rhetorical net a little wider, he may be on weaker footing. Clearly a very large number of Americans will say that working class or working family describes them if they are not given other choices. So, a Gore message that he is aiming at improving the lot of the working classes of America has at least the potential to resonate with a very large number of families. However, the fact that the majority of Americans, including in particular those making higher incomes, opt for labels other than "working" when given a choice suggests that their identification as working families may not be extremely strong. Thus, if Gore continues to target "working" families of America in his speeches, he may run the risk that his populist message will sail over (or under) the heads of many soft Republicans or independents who prefer other terms when asked to describe themselves.