But back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when 90 percent of Japanese proudly identified themselves as middle class, the prevailing feeling was of past sorrows overcome en route to an ever ...

The 1970s weren’t easy on the middle class. Inflation was high, wages fell behind, and the cost of living kept climbing. Families had to make do with what they had — and often, that wasn’t much.

Japan. Netherlands. Polska. Get the app. Personal Finance ... In 1970, the middle class held 62% of America's aggregate household income and the upper class held 29% — in 2014, ...