Urbanite

Urbanite

Urbanite is a word used in the United Kingdom and Ireland to describe a demographic of people who, like yuppies, are young, urban professionals, and are socially conscious. This group of people has been called the yuppies of the 21st Century. Their social conscience has been attributed to their living through the “caring, sharing” 1990s, while in other ways they may be products of the “greedy, selfish” 1980s. Urbanites can be seen as the very opposite of the lower-class group identified as Chavs. Urbanites are young, like Chavs, but unlike Chavs, they are educated, upmarket and highly aspirational.

The British commuter newspaper "Metro" has focused on three elements of Urbanites that go some way to defining and describing them: Urbanites are aged between 18-30, they are full-time working professionals and they are living or working in one the UK’s top 20 urban areas by population (i.e. big cities, not small towns). Metro's original qualitative research in 2001 identified Urbanites as having six key characteristics: they are time-poor, city-proud, media-literate, brand-centric, trend-sensitive and culturally-aware. They are affluent consumers with an optimistic outlook on life that is very different from those who live in “small town” or rural areas. The third element towards a sociology and psychology of Urbanites is connected to their expectations from life. Through research on the "Urban Life" consumer panel, Metro listed 10 “Great Expectations” that motivate and drive Urbanites:
#Expecting to live a meaningful and experience-rich urban life
#Expecting to succeed in multiple areas of life (not just career)
#Expecting to get substantial fulfilment from work (not just cash)
#Expecting to be at the hub of a large friendship network
#Expecting the traditional ideal of “true love” in the modern world
#Expecting to have to “make time” in order to have and enjoy time
#Expecting to avoid the use of debt to have what they need or would want
#Expecting to have a progressive government that delivers results
#Expecting to live in a pleasant “urban village” area of their city
#Expecting to live a responsible life as an urban consumer


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  • urbanité — [ yrbanite ] n. f. • 1370; lat. urbanitas, de urbanus « de la ville, qui a les qualités de l homme de la ville » 1 ♦ Politesse où entre beaucoup d affabilité naturelle et d usage du monde. Le « respect d autrui et de soi même qui s appelle d… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • urbanité — URBANITÉ. s. f. Politesse, que donne l usage du monde. Cet homme a beaucoup d urbanité …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • urbanite — 1897, from URBAN (Cf. urban) + ITE (Cf. ite) …   Etymology dictionary

  • urbanité — Urbanité, Vrbanitas …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • urbanite — ► NOUN informal ▪ a town or city dweller …   English terms dictionary

  • urbanite — [ʉr′bənīt΄] n. a person living in a city …   English World dictionary

  • urbanité — (ur ba ni té) s. f. 1°   La politesse des anciens Romains. •   Ils [les Romains] ont laissé leur atticisme [des Grecs] bien loin derrière leur urbanité ; c est ainsi qu ils appelèrent cette aimable vertu du commerce, après l avoir pratiquée… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • URBANITÉ — s. f. Politesse que donne l usage du monde. J aime son ton, ses manières, il est plein d urbanité. Les habitants de ce lieu reculé ont fort peu d urbanité.   Il se dit, particulièrement, de La politesse des anciens Romains. L urbanité romaine …   Dictionnaire de l'Academie Francaise, 7eme edition (1835)

  • URBANITÉ — n. f. Politesse, affabilité que donne l’usage du monde. J’aime son ton, ses manières, il est plein d’urbanité. Les habitants de ce lieu reculé ont fort peu d’urbanité …   Dictionnaire de l'Academie Francaise, 8eme edition (1935)

  • urbanite — noun Date: 1897 a person who lives in a city …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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