Mosaic (geodemography)
Encyclopedia
Mosaic UK is Experian
’s system for classification of UK households. It is one of a number of commercially available geodemographic segmentation
systems, applying the principles of geodemography
to consumer household and individual data collated from a number of governmental and commercial sources. The statistical development of the system was led by Professor Richard Webber in association with Experian in the 1980s and it has gone through a number of refreshes and reclassifications since then, each based on more recent data from national censuses and numerous other sources. Since its initial development in the UK, the Mosaic brand name has also been used to market separate products which classify other national consumers, now including most of Western Europe, USA, the Far East and Australia.
The initial UK version was based at the postcode level, which would cover an average of 20 properties with the same code. More recent versions have been developed at the individual household level and offer more accurate classification based on specific characteristics of each household. The current version, Mosaic UK 2009, classifies the UK population into 15 main socio-economic groups and, within this, 67 different types.
Professor Webber also developed the competing ACORN
system with CACI
. Both Mosaic and ACORN have found application outside their original purpose of direct marketing, including governmental estimates and forecasts and it is regularly employed by life insurance companies and pension funds in the UK to assess longevity for pricing and reserving.
Mosaic classifies Britain into 11 Main Groups and 61 distinct types. detailed description
Experian
Experian plc, formerly known as CCN Systems, is a global credit information group with operations in 36 countries. The company employs 15,500 people with corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland and operational headquarters in Nottingham, England and Costa Mesa, California, US...
’s system for classification of UK households. It is one of a number of commercially available geodemographic segmentation
Geodemographic Segmentation
In marketing, Geodemographic segmentation is a multivariate statistical classification technique for discovering whether the individuals of a population fall into different groups by making quantitative comparisons of multiple characteristics with the assumption that the differences within any...
systems, applying the principles of geodemography
Geodemography
Geodemography includes the application of geodemographic classifications for business, social research and public policy but has a parallel history in academic research seeking to understand the processes by which settlements evolve and neighborhoods are formed...
to consumer household and individual data collated from a number of governmental and commercial sources. The statistical development of the system was led by Professor Richard Webber in association with Experian in the 1980s and it has gone through a number of refreshes and reclassifications since then, each based on more recent data from national censuses and numerous other sources. Since its initial development in the UK, the Mosaic brand name has also been used to market separate products which classify other national consumers, now including most of Western Europe, USA, the Far East and Australia.
The initial UK version was based at the postcode level, which would cover an average of 20 properties with the same code. More recent versions have been developed at the individual household level and offer more accurate classification based on specific characteristics of each household. The current version, Mosaic UK 2009, classifies the UK population into 15 main socio-economic groups and, within this, 67 different types.
Professor Webber also developed the competing ACORN
ACORN (demographics)
ACORN is a geodemographic information system categorising all United Kingdom postcodes into various types based upon census data and other information such as lifestyle surveys....
system with CACI
CACI
CACI International Inc is a professional services and information technology company headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. CACI is a member of the Fortune 1000 Largest Companies and the Russell 2000 index. The company has approximately 13,700 employees in over 120 offices in the U.S. and...
. Both Mosaic and ACORN have found application outside their original purpose of direct marketing, including governmental estimates and forecasts and it is regularly employed by life insurance companies and pension funds in the UK to assess longevity for pricing and reserving.
Classification Groups and Types
Mosaic classifies Britain into 11 Main Groups and 61 distinct types. detailed description
| Group | Distinct types; for descriptions and full info see here | Percentage of UK Households | Typical names | Social Groups | Description | Media |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbols of Success (A) | A01 Global Connections A02 Cultural Leadership A03 Corporate Chieftains A04 Golden Empty Nesters A05 Provincial Privilege A06 High Technologists A07 Semi-Rural Seclusion |
9.62% | Rupert and Felicity | Upper Middle and Middle Middle class | This group represents the wealthiest 10% of people in Britain, set in their careers and with substantial equity and net worth. These people tend to be white British but with some Jewish, Indian and Chinese Minorities. Tends to contain older people advanced in their careers. | Internet, some TV |
| Happy Families | B08 Just Moving In B09 Fledgling Nurseries B10 Upscale New Owners B11 Families Making Good Middle Rung Families |
10.76% | Darren and Joanne | Lower middle class and Middle middle class | Families from Middle England Middle England The phrase "Middle England" is a socio-political and geographical term which originally indicated the central region of England, now almost always referred to as the "Midlands".... , focussed on children, home and career. tends to be in new suburbs in more prosperous areas of the UK, Mostly white with few minorities |
Sky TV and internet |
| Suburban Comfort | C20 Asian Enterprise | 15.10 % | Geoffrey and Valerie | Lower Middle Class | People in comfortable homes in mature suburbs built between 1918 & 1970, moderate incomes. Includes Middle class Asian Enterprise | Internet, Daily Mail Daily Mail The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982... |
| Ties of Community | D25 Town Centre Refuge | 16.04 % | Lee and Norreen | Lower middle class and Skilled working class | People focussed on local communities, families concentrated near Industrial areas, Includes lower income Asians | The Mirror, The Sun |
| Urban Intelligence | 7.19 % | Ben and Chloe | Mixture of Middle classes | Young educated people in urban areas starting out in life, Includes significant minority presence and students | The Guardian, The Times, and internet | |
| Welfare Borderline | 6.43 % | Joseph and Agnes | Working class and Poor | Poorest people in the UK, Urban with significant ethnic minority presence | The Sun, and high TV viewing | |
| Municipal Dependency | 6.71% | Wayne and Leanne | Working class and Poor | Poor people in council houses and dependent on benefits, Mostly white British with few immigrants | The Sun, and high TV viewing | |
| Blue Collar Enterprise | 11.01% | Dean and Mandy | Skilled Working Class | Enterprising rather than well educated, includes White Van Man White van man "White van man" is a term popularised in the United Kingdom by the journalist Jonathan Leake, then transport editor at The Sunday Times, to describe drivers of light commercial vehicles such as the Ford Transit.... , Few Ethnic minorities |
The Sun, and high TV viewing | |
| Twilight Subsistence | 3.88 % | Percy and Ada | Working class pensioners | Poorer pensioners in council houses, few ethnic minorities | The Sun, and high TV viewing | |
| Grey Perspectives | 7.88% | Edgar and Constance | Middle Class pensioners | Pensioners in comfortable retirement and traditional values | Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail | |
| Rural Isolation (K) | ...last one is K61 Upland Hill Farmers | 5.39% | Huw and Gwenda | Mixed | Rural People with relatively low incomes but high non liquid assets, traditional values, very few ethnic minorities | Internet, Radio 4 |
External links
- Guardian article referencing Mosaic
- http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1227910,00.html
- http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,,1428612,00.html
- http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/buying_and_selling/article1390447.ece
- http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=181549
- http://education.guardian.co.uk/primaryeducation/story/0,,1719385,00.html
- http://www.channel4.com/news/microsites/E/election2005_features/new_feature.html
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4485507.stm
- http://society.guardian.co.uk/e-public/story/0,13927,1420204,00.html