Americans reassessing high consumption.

• Author: Nelson, Toni

A recent study examining U.S. attitudes on consumerism has found that 82 percent of Americans agree that "Most of us buy and consume far more than we need; it's wasteful." Results from the study, "Yearning for Balance," conducted on behalf of the Merck Family Fund, indicate that Americans also are beginning to question the benefits of the consumer lifestyle. Not only do a majority (67 percent) attribute many of the world's environmental problems to overconsumption of resources in the United States, but they express dissatisfaction with the consequences of accelerating pursuit of material wealth in their own lives. Study participants consistently emphasized the importance of having more balance and less stress in their lives, along with the opportunity to spend more time with family and friends, over having more possessions, a bigger house, or a nicer car.

Although Americans represent about 5 percent of the world's population, they are responsible for some one-third of material consumption. Examining per capita energy use, a standard method for assessing each citizen's environmental impact, demonstrates the disproportionate share of global resources captured by the United States: each American uses the same amount of energy as 3 Japanese, 38 Indians, or 531 Ethiopians. According to the Merck study, many Americans feel that this level of consumption is unsustainable. A large majority of the respondents (88 percent) believe that "protecting the environment will require most of us to make major changes in the way we live," while approximately half agree that reducing their consumption will contribute substantially to...