Originally published in the September 2013 print issue of Casual Living

While affluent households, those earning $100,000 or more, accounted for 28% of all dining set buyers in 2012, they comprised 42% of the total dollars spent, spending nearly $900 million in 2012. In this exclusive report, Casual Living presents the detailed consumer buying information on outdoor dining set and conversation group. The data originates from the responses of 3,000 U.S. households to an online survey conducted in December 2012. Casual Living worked with TNS, a Kantar Group Company. This consumer report also includes data on the affluent and middle class from the Pew Research Center, Ipsos Mendelsohn Affluent Survey and the U.S. Census Bureau. Fifty-one percent of adults in the U.S. define themselves as middle class, compared with 56% twenty years ago and 61% forty years ago, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. However, long-term optimism prevails in this income group, 78% of the middle class believe their standard of living compared with their parents during their peak financial years will eventually be the same or better.

*4 pages*

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of Progressive Business Media.