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Young Adults' Views on Consumerism

The researchers for the book Lost in Transition divided American young adults (aged 18-23) into the following three groups based on their views on mass consumerism (or what the authors call our "cycle of shopping, buying, consuming, accumulating, discarding, and more shopping"):

  • 61 percent have no concerns with American materialism or mass consumerism.
  • 30 percent mention concerns about mass consumerism, but they have not made adjustments to their lifestyle.
  • 9 percent have concerns with mass consumerism and are taking specific steps to live more simply.

Overall, 65 percent of young adults said that shopping and buying things gives them lots of pleasure, while 47 percent said the things they own say a lot about how well they are doing in life.

The researchers conclude:

Most [young adults] seemed quite consumed with consumerism. Emerging adults have in fact been very well raised by parents, teachers, and the media to perpetuate the kind of standard materialistic values and lifestyles into which they have been socialized …. They believe that any money that they or anyone else earns is entirely their own to do with exactly as they please …. Shopping, buying, and consuming is thus presupposed by most emerging young adults, and owning some of the nicer things in life is a natural part of the purpose of life.

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