SOHO workers
Private professionals
Living in houses in small provincial towns
Likes to make fine gourmet dinners
Self-employed and doing their own tax return
East or west – home is best
We should all be more self-sufficient
"To be the architect of one's own fortune" is an old expression. For our SOHO workers it means that they are either self-employed with their own business, or that they take responsibility by leading or managing for others in the local community. They consist predominantly of singles and couples in their 40s and above. Far from all have children, and those who do have one and in rarer cases two children.
The SOHO workers' education level is average: Just under 40% are vocationally trained, and otherwise the educational spread is fairly representative of the whole country. The same goes for employment, which lies broadly at the national average.
What distinguishes a SOHO worker from the other family types is, first and foremost, that they have succeeded in combining business and private life under the same roof. They run their business from home, for example as a craftsman, haulier or reflexologist. But not everything has to generate income to make the SOHO worker happy. For some, being active in an association, either on the board or as treasurer, is reward enough in itself. It provides something to get stuck into, given that many SOHO workers have in fact retired.
The household income spans quite widely, yet it generally distributes like the rest of the population in terms of social class as well as income and wealth conditions.
The SOHO workers live predominantly in spacious single-family houses. Outside the house there is room for one to two cars, which the family drives every day. The cars may be on yellow plates (commercial), and depending on the occupation, there may also be some vans or lorries parked in the driveway. You can find SOHO workers everywhere in Denmark, but many live in provincial towns and most of all in village environments.
The home office does not gather dust, for with a business at the address there is also a fair amount of desk work to be done. Many therefore have a working week of over 50 hours, while the rest can keep to 40. The work does not tire them so much that they cannot maintain their home themselves. They are therefore also well-known customers at the local DIY store.
Work and practical activities appeal more than sport and exercise. Not that they are not interested in it - it just preferably takes place in the stands or on TV. If they are to move themselves, it may become a run, gymnastics or a trip to the fitness centre - at least in January and perhaps February. More than usual are members of a slimming club as a way to keep themselves healthy.
More than 80% drive a car daily, but one in four also often hops on the bicycle.
The love of cars is also reflected in the SOHO workers' media consumption. Depending on which brand they have chosen as a company car, the latest issue of Mercedes-Benz Magazine or Audi Magazine probably lies out on the coffee table - perhaps beside Motor magazine, Bil Magasinet or Transportmagasinet.
When the SOHO workers turn off the computer, the workday is over. The internet is to a greater extent a practical tool than a source of entertainment. The TV is not something they waste their time on either. They would rather walk around listening to NOVA or regional radio to keep informed. Almost half also leaf through the local paper every week. In general, their political interest is on a par with the average, although they prick up their ears a little more when it concerns regional politics, social conditions and tax policy.
The SOHO workers shop where it is quick, or at a nearby supermarket where you can get everything. Here SPAR and Dagli'Brugsen are the favourites.
They work hard to maintain a good life, and that is perhaps why getting away on holiday can be a little difficult. When it happens, the sun holiday tops the list. But a day trip or two to Germany and shorter weekend trips by car around Denmark are also the thing. It is so lovely here in this country, after all.
In terms of values, the type is predominantly Traditional-individual-oriented, but swinging across the Individual-oriented to also Modern-individual-oriented. In terms of attitudes, this is expressed in the type feeling well equipped for globalisation and comfortable with technological progress. About half believe that efficiency gains could be achieved through more privatisation. The most important reason for working is to sustain life and make ends meet, and they think it is too easy to get money from the public sector. The Social Democrats are largest among the voters, but the Liberal Party (Venstre) and Conservatives have a fair overrepresentation among the self-employed.
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