I don't have an answer, but I remember something a college professor told us once. Practically everyone thinks of themselves as middle class, regardless of income level or education level. If you do a survey and ask people to self-identify, that's what they will call themselves. Few people want to think of themselves as poor, or feel like a snob. It's kind of un-American to be anything but middle class.
It reminds me of a financial guy on the radio here. He recently said how frustrated he was that none of the presidential candidates was proposing help for someone like him--close to $200,000 in income, 4 kids all in private school, a wife who doesn't work outside the home. He didn't consider himself high-income, just kind of upper-middle, and apparently in need of as much help as anyone...
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