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A significant percentage of Americans (42%) say the historic legacy of the Baby Boom generation (born between 1946 and 1964) will be that they ushered in an era of consumerism and self-indulgence. Twenty-seven percent said the legacy will be for bringing about change in social and cultural values and ending a war, and 11% say the generation will not leave a special legacy at all.
Black Americans (50%) are more likely to say that Boomers brought about social and cultural change, as opposed to 24% who say they gave rise to consumerism. Some 36% of Hispanics think the legacy will be consumerism, and 32% say social and cultural change.
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Among Americans who have wireless handheld devices – smartphones or PDAs – Blacks (58%) and Hispanics (53%) are more likely than Whites (33%) to use them to go online. The following chart shows the handheld device activities on a typical day.
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Americans aged 18-34 have the highest membership in social networking sites (77%), followed by 64% of those aged 35-44 and 48% of those aged 45-64. Some 42% of 35-44-year-olds have profiles on multiple sites, as do 23% of 54-64-year-olds.
The following chart shows the top web content accessed by age group.
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Most Americans go online with the intention of learning, whether to educate themselves (96%), to research something (89%), or to stay informed (79%). Most also go online for fun – they want to be entertained (82%) and to find escape (66%). Socializing is another online activity with 92% going online to connect with others, 86% to share, 76% to discuss, and 72% to participate in a community. One-third (33%) go online to purchase something. The chart below shows what these buyers are seeking.
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Overall, American adults (37%) say that TV offers the most helpful advertisements in deciding which products and services to buy. Newspapers come in at a distant second with 17%, followed by Internet search engine ads (14%), radio ads (3%), and Internet banner ads (1%). The following chart shows how age is a major factor in determining who responds to or ignores specific advertisements.
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Americans say they would most likely give up their subscription to television (44%) over their subscriptions to other media or devices. The chart below details findings.
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The organization called Trust for America’s Health reports that nearly one in three American high school students (29%) are overweight or obese (16% and 13% respectively). The following chart provides the gender and race/ethnicity breakdown.
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Men (29%) say they have heard too much in the media about being eco-friendly and green, compared to 22% of women. Men are also twice as likely as women (16% vs. 9%) to day that being “green” is not necessary since the Earth can take care of itself.
The chart below shows additional divides on attitudes about environmental issues.
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While the recession has dampened business profits across the country, several key measures of ethical behavior – the amount of misconduct observed, the willingness to report misdeeds, the strength of ethical cultures and the pressure to cut corners – have improved since 2007, shortly before the recession began. See the chart below for details reported by the Ethics Resource Center.
ERC found a similar improvement in business ethics from 2000 to 2003, when the economy experienced the bursting of the dot com bubble, the events of 9/11 and corporate scandals including Enron and Worldcom, among others. However, business ethics then slipped again until the current recession began in December 2007.
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