Class Composition in Britain

In the publication that follows, we present the findings of the project so far. First, in Chapter 1 we reproduce the article that launched the project. As you can see, we set a very ambitious target: “to collectively produce an overall analysis of contemporary class composition in Britain” and launched a national survey. The first step of analysis involved producing initial findings in September 2021, which we have reproduced in Chapter 2. We then provide, in Chapter 3, an analysis of work in Britain to frame the changes in class composition.

In the next part of the publication, we discuss in detail changes that have taken place in particular sectors of the economy. Chapter 4 focuses on healthcare, Chapter 5 on education, Chapter 6 on charities, Chapter 7 on retail, and Chapter 8 on trade unions. The publication finishes with a conclusion and next steps, as well as including three appendices: a reflection on methods, the survey questions, and the interview questions.

We launched The Class Composition Project on the 16th of February 2021. It was started by Notes from Below, building on the ‘From the Workplace‘ publication, which brought together a collection of worker writing. Across the inquiries, there are insights into a changing experience and organisation of work. However, with only 12 inquiries, there is a limit to how far these insights can go. This is what spurred the class composition project. We wanted to find a way to move beyond individual worker writing to try and make sense of how composition was changing across Britain.