It’s common for social class to be erroneously confused with income. But

the fact is that social class captures those lifestyle differences that income

ignores. For example, different social classes

 ✓ Value education differently. Consumers who value education will spend

more on higher education, self-improvement, and workshops. Those

who value it less will conversely spend less.

 ✓ Have different attitudes toward family life, raising children, the role

of the women, and so on. Consumer attitudes regarding family life affect

consumers because they have a great effect on consumption patterns. If

a consumer believes that the role of women is to stay home, this situa-

tion often creates less discretionary income for the family. If she works

outside of the home, however, the family will be more apt to purchase

convenience products, such as day care, dinners out, housekeepers, and

so on.

 ✓ Exhibit different lifestyles. The importance that consumers put on

their public lifestyle affects their consumption patterns. If perception of

others doesn’t matter, they’ll pay less than those who find the exhibition

of their lifestyle a definition of their social class.

 ✓ Have different activities outside the home. A consumer who partici-

pates in multiple activities outside of the home will spend more on con-

venience items in order to accommodate that lifestyle of activities. On

the other hand, the consumer who stays at home will have fewer outside

expenditures.