Sinus Milieus® are the result of four decades of social-science research. Based in Heidelberg, Sinus-Institut explores and describes people’s daily reality and uses the results to develop socio-cultural target groups. In this way, the model of the Sinus Milieus® segments the population according to value orientations, lifestyles, aesthetic preferences, and social conditions.

The Sinus Milieus® have established themselves as a scientifically based target group model that is continuously kept up to date by accompanying research and observation of socio-cultural trends.

The current structure of the Sinus-Milieus® has been in place since October 2021

The map of Sinus Milieus® has been familiar for many years. The ten milieus present a visual model of German society’s social stratification and value structure. Products, brands, and media can be positioned on this “strategic map.” The boundaries between the milieus are fluid since lifeworlds cannot be delimited as precisely as social strata. Points of contact and transition between the milieus are therefore a basic component of this concept. The higher any given milieu is located, the more prestigious is its education, income, and professional group; the farther it extends to the right, the more modern is that milieu’s basic orientation.