Great post by the OP. In addition to the "conscious class," I know lots of JWs, especially "born-ins" under age 45, who could probably be classified as "potential future members of the conscious class."
These include the childless married couples who both work full-time, drive nice cars, own a home, and take lots of vacations. These include the parents who are encouraging their children to attend university. These include the men in their 30s who have no interest in serving as MS or elders and are happy to put in their 6-8 hours of "service" per month. They're the ones that last week's WT classified as "coasting along" in the congregation.
It's just another religion to these folks. They don't feel any burning desire to witness to others. They don't do any personal study aside from spending five minutes underlining the WT before the Sunday meeting. Deep down, they know something is wrong, but there are forces keeping them from taking any further action (primarily family, friends, and "where else can we go?"). But when the status quo changes--for example, if a family member is DF'd--that may be the catalyst for taking the next step.
The WTS knows that there are LOTS of these JWs out there--especially in the USA and other developed countries.