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Materialism is the excessive desire to consume and acquire material goods. It is often bound up with a value system which regards social status as being determined by affluence (see conspicuous consumption) as well as the perception that happiness can be increased through buying, spending and accumulating material wealth. Positively, materialism might be considered a pragmatic form of enlightened self-interest based on a prudent understanding of the character of capitalist society. Negatively, it is considered a crass, if not false, value system induced by the spell of commodity fetishism and void of more noble and worthy values.
In the United States, there is a growing trend of increasing materialism in order to pursue the "good life". Research shows that recent generations are focusing more on money, image, and fame than ever before - especially when compared to the generations of baby boomers and Generation X.
In one survey, 1 in 14 Americans would murder someone for 3 million dollars and 65% of respondents said they would spend a year on a deserted island to earn $1 million.
A survey done by the UCLA and American Council on Education on a quarter of a million new college students found that their main reason for attending college was to gain material wealth. From the 1970s to the late 90s, the percentage of students that stated their main reason for going to college was to develop a meaningful life philosophy dropped from over 80% to about 40%, while the purpose of obtaining financial gain rose from about 40% to over 75%.
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