| This report, prepared by The Harwood Group, was
commissioned by the Merck Family Fund as part of a broad, long-term effort to examine
patterns of consumption in the United States and the consequences of those patterns for
our society and the environment. The Fund's interest in the culture of consumerism and
American lifestyles was sparked by a growing concern that the nation is on an
unsustainable path--one that robs resources from future generations, generates far too
much waste, and undermines community and family life for many Americans. Yearning for Balance is a report of citizen perspectives on the issue of
consumption. It is based on a series of focus group discussions and a national survey
designed to allow Americans to frame the issue for themselves--to describe the concerns,
beliefs, and values they bring to bear in thinking about the role of consumption in their
lives and in our society.
In January 1995, The Harwood Group conducted four focus groups
across the country--in Dallas, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, and Frederick, Maryland--with
Americans from all walks of life. We listened as people talked together about their
concerns, and how those concerns are shaped by our patterns of consumption. We listened
for the language people use, the values they emphasize, and the hopes, fears, and
aspirations they share around this set of issues.
We then developed and conducted a national public opinion survey--a
survey framed by the expressed concerns and language of citizens themselves, rather than
solely that of experts or advocates. This survey, taken in February 1995, provides a
statistical portrait of how Americans are thinking today about a wide range of issues
connected to consumption, the environment and the values and priorities of our society.
Together, the survey and focus groups constitute a rough map of the political landscape
that anyone who wishes to work on these issues should consider.
Four key findings emerged as we explored people's concerns in the
focus groups and survey:
1. Americans believe our priorities are out of whack. People
of all backgrounds share certain fundamental concerns about the values they see driving
our society. They believe materialism, greed, and selfishness increasingly dominate
American life, crowding out a more meaningful set of values centered on family,
responsibility, and community. People express a strong desire for a greater sense of
balance in their lives--not to repudiate material gain, but to bring it more into
proportion with the non-material rewards of life.
2. Americans are alarmed about the future. People feel that
the material side of the American Dream is spinning out of control, that the effort to
keep up with the Joneses is increasingly unhealthy and destructive: The Joneses is killing
me, declared a man in one focus group. People are particularly concerned about the
implications of our skewed priorities for children and future generations--they see worse
trouble ahead if we fail to change course.
3. Americans are ambivalent about what to do. Most people
express strong ambivalence about making changes in their own lives and in our society.
They want to have financial security and live in material comfort, but their deepest
aspirations are non-material ones. People also struggle to reconcile their condemnation of
other Americans' choices on consumption with their core belief in the freedom to live as
we choose. Thus, while people may want to act on their concerns, they are paralyzed by the
tensions and contradictions embedded in their own beliefs. In turn, they shy away from
examining too closely not only their own behavior, but that of others.
4. Americans see the environment as connected to these
concerns--in general terms. People perceive a connection between the amount we buy and
consume and their concerns about environmental damage, but their understanding of the link
is somewhat vague and general. People have not thought deeply about the ecological
implications of their own lifestyles; yet there is an intuitive sense that our propensity
for "more, more, more" is unsustainable.
People are struggling to find a vocabulary that captures their
concerns. Indeed, one obstacle to moving forward on the issue of consumption is language.
People share a sense of what the problem is but have trouble agreeing on what to call it.
"Consumption" as a word has little public resonance. In the focus groups, most
people eventually agreed on the word materialism as a useful catchall term. Others
preferred terms such as consumerism, selfishness, and/or waste.
Meanwhile, there seems to be a latent consensus that we need to
alter our priorities and behavior, but there are obvious tensions and ambivalence embedded
in people's views. Americans want change, both to achieve more balanced lives and a
cleaner environment for their children, but they are nervous about the implications of
taking action and skeptical that others are willing to be part of the solution. To embark
on a course of sustainable action, people will need an opportunity to discuss these issues
with others, to work through their ambivalence, and to forge a sense of common purpose.
The citizens we interviewed for this report have given us some starting points from which
to begin that process.
Merck Family Fund
Takoma Park, MD
1995 |