I’m a baby boomer at 68. When I got divorced 18 years ago I downsized buying a very small condo. It had many advantages including less cost and there was a lot less to clean. I was still making good money so I was able to salt money away which came in handy when I lost my job because of outsourcing in my late 50s with little hope of getting another job. A recent survey indicates that the “American Dream” is changing.
The survey, which polled 1,821 U.S. citizens ages 18 and over, illustrates the shift in public consciousness around the topic of the American Dream and sheds new light on the topics of advertising, the environment, consumption, and the sharing economy.
Major findings include:
1. The majority of Americans believe that it is more difficult to achieve the American Dream than it was a decade ago, due primarily to the high costs of education and healthcare.2. Americans who have chosen to work fewer hours report an overall improvement in quality of life, indicating that this shift has positively affected their lives by allowing for more free time and reduced stress.
3. Americans are interested in increasing their sharing practices and learning more about the sharing economy. Over half of respondents believe that sharing lowers environmental impact, builds community, and helps save money.
4. Americans feel strongly that the way we live produces too much waste, and that our high consumption levels are largely responsible for global environmental problems. An overwhelming majority feel that we will need to make major changes in the way we live to counterbalance this phenomenon.
5. Americans believe that commercialism and advertising have gotten out of hand in the United States, and that the government should do more to combat it. Almost three-quarters of Americans believe there should be limits on advertising to children, including limits on advertising in public spaces and in schools.
6. Millennials make use of sharing economy services—such as bike sharing and peer-to-peer lodging—at a rate more than double their Baby Boomer and Gen X peers, and are interested in expanding their sharing practices. They are also more optimistic than Baby Boomers and Gen Xers that they will be able to achieve the American Dream.
Take a look at number 5. Our concept of the “American Dream” was driven by advertising. The classic example is deodorant and body odor. We really didn’t know about body odor before television. Even in the late 60s and early 70s when I lived in Germany they weren’t concerned with it because there was little TV advertising. As a college student I used to go out into the field for 2 or more weeks and guess what, after a couple of days you don’t notice body odor anymore.
Number 4 is also important,Americans feel strongly that the way we live produces too much waste, and that our high consumption levels are largely responsible for global environmental problems. An overwhelming majority feel that we will need to make major changes in the way we live to counterbalance this phenomenon. This is good news. Here in America we throw away enough food away to feed a third world nation and we waste an incredible amount of energy. The solution to our energy shortage is not fracking or tar sands but conservation. Instead of giving tax breaks and subsides to energy companies we should be using that money to make homes and businesses more energy efficient.
On this holiday weekend this is a good time to post a rant that few will read since few will be reading anything anyway.