1. Sociology 125
Lecture 8
Thursday, September 27
Consumerism

2. Definitions
Consumerism: The belief that personal well-being, happiness and status depend largely on the level of personal consumption, particularly the acquisition of material goods.
Hyper-consumerism: the frenetic pursuit of consumer goods

3. Growth in median size of new home construction in the U.S., 1963-2007

4. % of new home construction
Under 1,200 square feet
Over 2,500 square feet
Construction of Small & Big houses, 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
1973
1975
1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
Over 2500 square feet
Under 1200 square feet

5. What is wrong with consumerism?

6. What is wrong with consumerism?
There are big negative externalities from consumerism
Consumerism in fact does not make most people happy
There are systematic biases in the system which generate consumerism. If these system-biases were eliminated, many – maybe most – people would adopt a less consumerist life style.

7. Profit maximizing strategies
System bias #1:
Profit maximizing strategies

8. 2 weeks of time
1 week of time

9. Market-failures in leisure
System bias #2:
Market-failures in leisure

10. 9 weeks
Number of hours more per year on average that Americans work than people in other countries
6 weeks
3.4 weeks
.5 weeks

11. From Juliet Schor, The Overworked American, p. 130

13. Changing reference group for consumption norms
System bias #3:
Changing reference group for consumption norms

14. System bias #4:
Credit cards

16. Rising inequality increases consumerism
System bias #5:
Rising inequality increases consumerism

17. Abandonment of public consumption by affluent
System bias #6:
Abandonment of public consumption by affluent