Where do you live according to ACORN?

Often, many of the people who live in this sort of postcode will be well-off managers living in larger houses. These are known as type 4 in the ACORN classification and 2.5% of the UK’s population live in this type.

Neighbourhoods fitting this profile are found in many counties including Hampshire (Fareham, Basingstoke), Cheshire (Congleton) and Essex (Maldon, Brentwood) as well as in Northern Ireland (Lisburn, Antrim).

Here is an overview of the likely preferences and features of your neighbourhood:

Family income Very high
Interest in current affairs High
Housing - with mortgage High
Educated - to degree High
Couples with children High
Have satellite TV High

These are affluent people living in smaller towns and villages throughout the UK. Most are highly qualified professionals and managers with some self employed. Given the rural nature of many of these areas, there are also some agricultural workers. Although these neighbourhoods contain some retired couples, most residents are either families or couples where the children have left home. They live in large detached houses, with four or more bedrooms, which may be owned outright or being bought on a mortgage.

Car ownership is high with many households having two or more cars. Company cars are common and are likely to be of high value.

These well-off people are financially secure with high levels of savings and investments. They are likely to hold stocks and shares and invest in ISAs and unit trusts. They have a good pension which may be company provided or private. They also have private medical insurance.

Levels of PC ownership are high, as is use of the Internet for shopping, banking, and researching future purchases.

These individuals can afford good holidays both in Europe and further afield, including the USA and Canada. They are likely to go skiing and enjoy playing golf. Eating out in restaurants is a regular occurrence as is a general interest in food and wine.

Newspaper readership is largely of the broadsheets, particularly the Telegraph, The Times and Financial Times.

Often, many of the people who live in this sort of postcode will be skilled workers living in semis and terraces. These are known as type 41 in the ACORN classification and 3.38% of the UK’s population live in this type.

Neighbourhoods fitting this profile are found throughout the UK including Blackpool, Stevenage, Crawley, Neath Port Talbot, Harlow and the Wear Valley. Here is an overview of the likely preferences and features of your neighbourhood:

Family income Low
Interest in current affairs Low
Housing - with mortgage Medium
Educated - to degree Low
Couples with children Medium
Have satellite TV Medium

Shopworkers and skilled blue-collar workers employed in manufacturing and other manual occupations make up the bulk of households in these areas. The age profile is similar to the UK as a whole with a mixture of singles, couples, families and retired people.

Housing is predominantly terraced and semi-detached, with relatively few flats and detached houses. Houses are relatively small, usually with two or three bedrooms. Most are buying their property on a mortgage, although there are some renting privately.

Car ownership is in line with the UK average, with around 75% of households owning a car. Cars are likely to be lower value models, often bought second hand.

Incomes are moderate rather than low. This is reflected in slightly lower than average holdings of ISAs and stocks and shares, which are likely to be demutualisation and privatisation stocks. Consumers in this type are much more likely to use a traditional bank or building society branch to make financial transactions than the Internet or other direct channels.

Interests include camping and caravanning, angling, bingo and the pub. Cable TV subscriptions are also above average for this group.

Preferred newspapers include the Daily Mirror and The Sun, with the Sunday Mirror, News of the World and The People at weekends.

Often, many of the people who live in this sort of postcode will be cosmopolitan sharers or students living in flats. These are known as type 20 in the ACORN classification and 0.65% of the UK’s population live in this type.

University towns such as Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh are the main geographical locations for these types, which are also found in places such as Brighton, Plymouth and Dundee. Here is an overview of the likely preferences and features of your neighbourhood:

Family income Medium
Interest in current affairs High
Housing - with mortgage Low
Educated - to degree High
Couples with children Low
Have satellite TV Low

These are cosmopolitan areas of shared flats and bed-sits.

Households tend to be young single people renting small one or two bedroom flats, which may be purpose built or converted. Around a third are student households. This is a fast changing environment with a high turnover of occupancy. Living close to places of work and study, travel is mainly by foot or public transport. Relatively few of these people own a car.

Although many cannot afford to purchase a PC, this is the computer literate generation. They use the Internet through college or work to make various purchases and book holidays. These people have plans and aspirations. They wish to embrace the latest technology - digital cameras, DVD players and so on - but don’t yet have the financial means to do so. The more prudent plan to pay off their debts. Their phone bills are large and their credit card limits low.

Lifestyles are active, socially and physically. Exercise, dance and sport are popular. They frequent coffee shops and in the evenings go the theatre, cinema or clubbing. More relaxing moments are spent listening to music or reading books and magazines. Some will eat healthy foods and take vitamin supplements, but many choose to eat fast foods and take-aways for convenience.

These people are interested in current affairs. While news may be followed online, they are also readers of The Guardian, Observer, Independent and The Times.

Often, many of the people who live in this sort of postcode will be young educated workers living in flats. These are known as type 17 in the ACORN classification and 0.76% of the UK’s population live in this type.

Neighbourhoods fitting this profile are found in Scottish cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee, and in English towns such as Brighton, Cambridge, Bath and Southampton. Here is an overview of the likely preferences and features of your neighbourhood:

Family income Medium
Interest in current affairs High
Housing - with mortgage Low
Educated - to degree High
Couples with children Very low
Have satellite TV Very low

There are many young people in their twenties in these densely populated areas. Most are working, but there is also a significant number of students. The majority live on their own in small flats, which will be either purpose built or conversions. Given this type is often found in Scotland, tenements will also be common.

These young people are well qualified, with levels of NVQs, A-Levels and degrees well above average. They are early in their careers and have modest incomes, which should continue to rise. This does mean they are unlikely to have any financial investments.

Living close to the centre of activity, in terms of both their work and recreation, there is little need for access to a car. Public transport, cycling and walking are the main options for getting around.

Self-improvement and education are important to this group and they devote free time to both. They are busy people and enjoy socialising in bars, restaurants and coffee shops on a regular basis.

They do not buy many newspapers, but The Guardian and Independent are most popular.

Often, many of the people who live in this sort of postcode will be white-collar singles or sharers living in terraces. These are known as type 25 in the ACORN classification and 1.55% of the UK’s population live in this type.

Towns where neighbourhoods fitting this profile can be found include York, Canterbury, Swindon, Norwich, Bristol, Reading and Cardiff. Here is an overview of the likely preferences and features of your neighbourhood:
Family income Medium
Interest in current affairs Medium
Housing - with mortgage High
Educated - to degree High
Couples with children Low
Have satellite TV Low

This type is a mixture of young professionals and students in prosperous provincial towns and cities. Households are a mix of singles, couples and flat and house sharers.

Residents are mostly in their 20s and early 30s. They are well qualified, usually to A-level and degree standard. The older individuals in this type are often already in successful professional and managerial careers. Others are in lower managerial roles, as well as clerical occupations. Some work in the education and healthcare sectors. The term-time student population in this type is above average.

Most of the housing is terraced with some converted flats. Purpose built flats are rarer. Renting from a private landlord is higher than the national average, but many are buying their properties on a mortgage. Most households are two or three bedrooms.

Car ownership is in line with the national average, with most households having one, and some having two cars. Despite this, most residents use public transport, cycle or walk when travelling to work.

These individuals are slightly higher than average holders of savings and investment products such as ISAs, unit trusts and stocks and shares. They are also likely to use the Internet for savings accounts and to source credit cards.

Their preferred newspapers are The Guardian, Independent and Observer. They are likely to have cable TV and are keen on exercise and sport as well as theatre, music and the arts.

Often, many of the people who live in this sort of postcode will be wealthy working families with mortgages. These are known as type 2 in the ACORN classification and 1.3% of the UK’s population live in this type.

These families are found throughout the UK including towns such as Reading, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Warrington and parts of Northern Ireland. Here is an overview of the likely preferences and features of your neighbourhood:

Family income Very high
Interest in current affairs Medium
Housing - with mortgage Very high
Educated - to degree High
Couples with children Very high
Have satellite TV Very high

These are affluent families, with school age children, enjoying a good lifestyle. They are found throughout the UK.

Employment is largely in senior managerial and professional occupations, and many of the households in this type have both adults working. Their large detached houses, usually with four or more bedrooms, are mortgaged rather than owned outright.

Car ownership is high, with two or more cars common. Models are likely to be large, new, company owned and relatively expensive.

These affluent families have high levels of savings, including ISAs, stocks and shares and unit trusts. They will use brokers for making their investments as well as buying direct, often using the Internet. They have good pension provision, either company or private, and most have private medical insurance.

The home computer is a key item for these families. They use it for careers and job planning, education and reference (for example, researching cars and holidays), home finance, buying gifts and making leisure bookings online.

Popular newspapers are the Telegraph and The Times, including their Sunday versions, as well as the Financial Times and Daily Mail. Readership of magazines such as Ideal Home and Marie Claire is also high.

They lead an active lifestyle, enjoying walking, playing golf and going to the gym. These consumers enjoying drinking wine which they often buy by the case through mail order. They also enjoy eating out in restaurants on a regular basis.