The Australian population tends to be incessantly labelled as 'larrikins' and 'easy goers'. However, these superficial assertions seem to be drifting further away from the true characteristics of the typical Australian. Terms like 'aggressive', 'struggling', and 'unhappy' are becoming more feasible when describing Australia's average earning 'middle class'. This is evidenced by the 'Middle Australia' review, which found that over 50% of people surveyed in 1996 felt that their quality of life was declining, while just below 40% …showed first 75 words of 1371 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1371 total…Moscow Murray, Georgina, Capital and Class, lecture to first-year students, Faculty of Arts, Griffith University, 11 Mar 2004. Norton, Andrew 2003, 'Quality of life and the prophets of gloom' http://www.cis.org.au/Policy/summer03-04/polsumm0304-2.htm Pusey, Michael 2003, 'The experience of middle australia: the dark side of economic reform', Cambridge University Press, Melbourne Weber, Max, 'Status groups and classes' in Ross, G and Wittich, C (ed.) 1968, 'Economy and Society', University of California Press, Berkeley