As we enter what is traditionally the year’s most concentrated
shopping season – and, for many, its most stressful – increasing numbers of
North Americans are re-evaluating their approach to money – both how they make
it and how they spend it (or not). The implications for green living, the
environment and our families are huge.
According to a poll released by the Center for a New American
Dream, Americans are overworked, overspent and rethinking the American dream. At
a time when Americans are divided politically, they seem to agree on one thing:
most people aren’t focused on what really matters. More than eight out of ten
survey respondents believe that society’s priorities are “out of whack” and 93
percent agree that people are too focused on working and making money and not
enough on family and community. Almost as many (more than eight in ten) say they
would be more satisfied with life if they just had less stress.
Although they may not think of themselves as having
pursued the “American dream”, people in other developed countries are
also rethinking their attitudes towards money along with their habits of
consumption. In his book Better Happy Than Rich (Penguin Books, 2000),
Michael Adams, President of Toronto-based Environics Research Group,
says that over the past few decades Canadians’ social understanding of
currency has been evolving along with our values. Under the traditional
model, he writes, power was the currency of choice, then money became
the central currency; increasingly, as a post-modern people, “the
ability to experience lives of energy and intensity in a more ethical
world” has become the most desirable end in our society. This has led to
a move for less conspicuous consumption and a desire to put our money
where our consciences are as we try to do business with humane and
ethical organizations. It is also the reason behind the increase in the
number of Canadians investing ethically.
The picture is the same in Australia. A 2003 study by the Australia
Institute found that 23 percent of Australians aged 30 to 59 had
downshifted in the prior decade, changing careers, cutting back work
hours or taking early retirement.
Similarly, the New American Dream survey illustrates the changes that
Americans have made in the past five years, which have resulted in
making and spending less money. Much of the change has come since
September 11, 2001, with 40 percent of Americans having made conscious
decisions to buy less. The primary reasons given for voluntarily
reducing work and income are a desire for a less stressful and more
balanced life and a desire for more time. This is a steep increase in
the number of self-proclaimed “down-shifters” compared to earlier polls.
That increase is confirmed by researchers Paul Ray and Sherry Ruth
Anderson, who coined the term “cultural creatives” for people who have
made this shift in their values and way of life. They say that in the
1960s less than five percent of the population was making these changes,
whereas now cultural creatives make up a quarter of the population.
In the New American Dream survey, concerns over two related trends stand
out: excessive consumerism coupled with economic insecurity.
Eighty-eight percent believe that our society is too materialistic with
four of five saying that society is too focused on shopping and
spending. At the same time, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) report that
the American dream is harder to achieve than it was even ten years ago
and less than half believe they will ever achieve it.
But more importantly, people want to redefine what the dream means. Only
three percent say that the phrase “more is better” describes the
American dream while 86 percent say that getting “more of what matters
in life” is a better description.
What to do about the problem aside from stepping out of the rat race?
“[We] are mis-educated to be consumers and to value wealth more than
time...We’re a hyped up, stressed, tired and addiction-prone people. The
two most radical things we can do...are slow down and talk to people,”
says Mary Pipher, noted author and family therapist.
The New American Dream poll suggests that politicians might
also do well to address concerns about over-work, overspending and
rising levels of personal debt.
It’s ironically remarkable that, at a time when many people are
hard-pressed financially and struggling to make ends meet, so many are
trying to reduce their workload, despite the economic obstacles. More
than half of survey respondents say they would be willing to give up one
day’s pay per week in exchange for one day off per week in order to
spend more time with family and friends.
Wendy Priesnitz is Natural Life Magazine's
editor. She is a journalist with over 35 years of experience, and the
author of ten books.
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