@ Alwasy ask questions: Thanks for the stats but I’m not sure where your point about “upper class” (however that may be defined) comes into the discussion. I certainly did not mention the “upper class” or suggest that it is a bad thing.
My point was about culture as much as econimics. In Europe there is a cultural middle class, i.e. a class which defines itself as such according to its cultural and intellectual interests and output, rather than accourding to materialism and money. It is harder to measure the wealth or economic significance of this class relative to other classes, as people of all backgrounds may see themselves as being part of it.