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Brett Fann
Lucy Steele
UWRT 1103
5 November 2014

Materialism and Consumerism: The Price Americans Pay

The United States of America began as the land of opportunity. It was based on a set of
beliefs that with hard work and persistence, one would be able to acquire a well paying job, raise
a family, and live a stable life. With the American obsession of always wanting more, this
American Dream has began to dwindle to that of acquiring the most recent and advanced
technology and other unnecessary amenities. Consumerism is economically manifested in the
chronic purchasing of new goods and services, with little attention to their true need, durability,
product origin, or the environmental consequences of manufacture and disposal (Verdant,
2002). Consumerism has began to engulf our nation which brings about many questions to the
impact it has on its citizens.
When did consumerism begin to envelop America? Wartime production during WWII
assisted in pulling America out of the depression. With the mass number of soldiers returning
home, the baby boom brought with it a massive number of new families and a fast growing
expansion of suburban neighborhoods. Products centered around home and family life began to
fly out of factories and were quickly snatched off the shelves. Brand new appliances like
refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and even televisions began to make their
presence known in American homes.

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Modernization was beginning to take its toll on American society, and the first signs of
over-consumption began to show. In fact, between 1945 and 1949, Americans purchased 20
million refrigerators, 21.4 million cars, and 5.5 million stoves (PBS, 2014), a trend that
continued well into the 1950s. An indicator that this obsessive trend of buying the newest most
popular items could stick around for quite some time. What was the cause of this and why now?
Historian Elaine Tyler May believes that the federal government and the American people saw
the new consumerism as a way to deemphasize class differences while stressing traditional
gender roles (PBS, 2014). She includes that low prices, high wages, and other factors, played a
roll in making this goal of the good life very attainable.
It is globally known that America has established itself as one of the wealthiest most
powerful countries in the world. With the advanced conditions Americans are blessed with, the
opportunity for consumption is higher than ever. Many people see this opportunity as an
impending doom for our country. How has consumerism affected our society? The answer for
many is the same; we define our lives by how much stuff we have how much money we
make (Snyder, 2012). To some, the chokehold of consumerism has made its way onto our
calendar. Americans shower loved ones with gifts on birthdays and holidays as a means to show
how much we appreciate them. From 2009 to 2012 the average spending budget per family
during the holiday season increased from $681.83 to $749.51 (Snyder, 2012). Money, already
representing the value of ones financial status, to many, now represents their value as an
individual as well. With evidence of materialism having an impact on American spending, to
what extent does this mass purchasing of goods have on the economy?
Since the 1950s a steady change of how Americans spend their budget has become
apparent. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, household spending has increased

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tenfold since 1950. In fact, Americans spend 60% of their budget on housing and transportation
(Adams, 2009); a nearly 30% increase over the past fifty years. With the major focus on the
average American budget being directed toward housing and transportation, the prices of these
products began to skyrocket. The U.S. Commerce Department has shown that since 1970 the
average cost of a new home has increased by a whopping 1,047% (Adams, 2009)! Research
indicates the average income of Americans in 1970 was $9400 and the average today is $70,354.
An increase of 648% which shows the cost of housing has outpaced the growth in wage.
It appears to me consumerism is having an impact on the economy, but not necessarily a
good one. Consumerism is driven based on what is desired by consumers. The statistics show
that the majority of Americans spending is concentrated on housing. So why then has the price
been increased so drastically over the past few decades? The answer is simple: because it is
viewed as most important to the American people, the price is increased to ensure maximum
profit. While the purchasing of things does improve the nations economy, the isolated inflation
of American necessities hurt the economy of the individual itself. With this exorbitant inflation,
more and more Americans are forced into debt in an attempt to pay off overpriced mortgages.
This process of accumulating debt in order to pay for overpriced necessities has put many
Americans in a hole they find difficult to climb out of. Consumerism shows an impact on
Americans from an economic standpoint, but could consumerism be effecting the environment as
well?
Consumerism is centered around the purchasing of the most recent and popular items,
and disposing of that which is out of date. This idea of using what is new until it has lost its
appeal, has found its way into other aspects of society; including the environment. Disposable
items neglect quality or reliability and are produced just for a one time use. For example, 220

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billion cans, bottles, plastic cartons, and paper cups, are thrown away each year (Verdant,
2009). In the same way, people purchase items for a short lived feeling of accomplishment and
an expectancy that this product will improve their lives. Time and time again, this feeling
vanishes and the updated version is purchased. This causes a cycle of unnecessary purchasing
and then disposing, either into storage or a landfill. Discarding of the old for the new often
leads to an almost total waste of the energy and material already invested in these products
(Verdant, 2009). Overconsumption of items that people then lose interest in has became the
driving force behind the rapidly growing self storage industry in the U.S. Every year thousands
of acres good farm land and trees are paved over to build homes for unwanted items whose only
purpose is to collect dust (Verdant, 2009). The negative affects consumerism has on this country
economically and environmentally are rather staggering. Even with this knowledge of the
negative consequences of consumerism, why are Americans still consumed by consumption?
What is it about the American people that makes us so eager to make material purchases?
Could it be perhaps that consumption leads to happiness? It is a difficult task to measure such a
question. I came across a study while conducting research that was done by the Association for
Consumer Research, that attempted to do just that (Richins, 2014). During the study, a survey of
48 participants was conducted and the results of the survey indicated just how materialistic each
person was based on a scale they had developed beforehand. The participants were placed into
three groups differentiated by their levels of materialistic influence based on the results of their
survey. The participants were then asked to identify recent purchases they had made and how
those purchases impacted their happiness from time of purchase through the weeks to follow.
The conclusion of the experiment brought with it varied results. The researchers found
that the most common occurring item that brought happiness from all participants was clothing,

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followed by automobiles. The results also showed that the emotional reaction difference
between the groups of materialists in the study was rather insignificant; understandable
considering the participants were asked to reflect on purchases that made them happy. What
researchers did find that was quite interesting was how high materialist participants reported
stronger feelings of anxiety, guilt, and other negative emotions the weeks following the purchase,
compared to the low materialists who did not report as many negative emotions (Richins, 2014).
What this experiment tells us is that materialists experience more negative emotions when
making these purchases due to a multitude of things. A materialist is centered around
consumption on a day-to-day basis. These people have higher expectations for how these
purchases will improve their lives which inversely causes a higher potential for disappointment.
The trap of materialism is the sense that for those consumed in the disillusion that purchases
bring happiness, fall victim to a cycle of being unhappy with a purchase, and then buying
something else to fill the void. Materialism can be almost self-crippling if one is unable to break
from its grip.
Throughout my research I have learned an extensive amount of information on
consumerism and the impact it has on American society. This costly, extensive, compulsive, and
continuous purchasing of goods has been affecting this nation in a multitude of ways for a
number of decades now. Consumerism has been seen in a negative light do to its adverse effects
on the environment, an individuals financial situations, an individuals emotions, as well as the
nations economy as a whole. While consumerism is essential to the improvement of the
economy, the inflation of high demand products puts consumers in difficult situations to make
purchases. The consumer mindset has began to find its way into how Americans take care of
their trash, filling landfills at a rapid rate because of rapid disposal for new products. With

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consumerism playing a pivotal role in our lives and the future, how often we choose to indulge in
these excessive purchases and how we handle the consequences that follow, will determine how
much we let consumerism affect this country.

Work Cited
"50 Years Of Consumer Spending." Investopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1009/50-years-of-consumer-spending.aspx>.
Adams, Katie. "50 Years Of Consumer Spending." Investopedia. N.p., 15 Oct. 2009. Web. 05
Nov. 2014. <http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1009/50-years-of-consumerspending.aspx>.

Richins, Marsha L., Kim R. McKeage, and Debbie Najjar. "An Exploration of Materialism and
Consumption-Related Affect." Association for Consumer Research. N.p., 2014. Web. 05 Nov.
2014. <http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=7301>.

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"The Rise of American Consumerism." PBS. Ed. PBS. PBS, 2013. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/tupperware-consumer/>.

Snyder, Michael. "Is America The Most Materialistic Society In The History Of The World?"

The Economic Collapse. N.p., 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.

<http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/is-america-the-most-materialistic-society-in-thehistory-of-the-world>