Middle Class Identity

by Diana Torres
4.29.08

The McCormick Tribune Foundation recently hosted a conference entitled “Economic Inequality and the Hourglass Economy: The Decline of the Middle Class—the End of the American Dream?” For two days, I listened to numerous speakers and engaged in discussions with diverse groups of economists, sociologists, and members of national and regional social and economic organizations. All of the invited speakers highlighted and emphasized the increasing economic differences between and among the United States general public, thus contributing to a decreasing representation of members in the “middle” class.  

This is an interesting conclusion when coupled with an even more recent Chicago Tribune article indicating how the term “middle class” is actually an ever-popular and all-encompassing socioeconomic identity. The Tribune authors show how individuals and families who vary in income and number of family members (as low as $30,000 for a family of five and as high as $160,000 for a family of two), ALL considered themselves members of the middle class. In addition, the authors cited an increasing feeling of financial insecurity about the future. This sentiment is understandable considering recent patterns of layoffs, high rates of home foreclosures, and the constant promises from the Presidential hopefuls to ‘improve the economy.’  

Based on the above, it seems many folks are claiming the “middle class” identity even though they share no common economic ranges or family sizes. And yet according to Hourglass conference I attended, the middle class is quickly disappearing. While these two conclusions may not be compatible or even complimentary, what is clear is that many of us are contextualizing our economic statuses as personalized and individualized experiences. As the Tribune suggested, being middle class is, above all, a state of mind.

As more people identify as ‘middle class,’ the more they indicate that they want to be a part of something bigger, a larger, more-inclusive group that can accommodate various occupations and lifestyles. In many ways, the GO TO 2040 campaign seeks to do the same: as an agency engaged in the planning process for a brighter future in our region, CMAP needs the various experiences, concerns, and aspirations of all the region’s residents.

The participants with whom I interacted in previous community conversations (Yorkville, Aurora, and Minooka) have all shown a range of economic and social differences. But despite all these differences, what stood out most was the personal and individual concern these participants demonstrated for the future of the region.

This is the work we do in outreach: to help people realize and understand the ways in which they are already connected to the planning world. We have to make our issues apply to the everyday lives of our region’s residents. The GO TO 2040 campaign provides a wonderful opportunity for everyone, regardless of our walks of life, to become educated and participate in a planning process that will affect our collective futures—whether or not you are a member of the middle class.