Consumers' Penchant For Novelty Doesn't Include Manners And Morals

What has the past done for me lately? At a glance, Americans can seem quick to dispose of anything that seems old-fashioned, standards of behavior included. In reality, though, they have a more complex relationship with traditional values and the factors that imperil them. Under the rubric "Modern Traditionalism," a survey by JWT works to nail down some of these feelings. One of the poll's broader questions asked respondents to indicate how much they agree with the statement, "It's important to honor traditions." On a scale of 1 (disagree completely) to 5 (agree completely), the answers averaged out to a very affirmative 4.21, with women (4.33) more likely than men (4.09) to feel that way. Considering how dismissive our culture can be of old folks, there was surprisingly strong assent that "We can learn a lot from previous generations" (women 4.58, men 4.43). Large majorities of respondents endorsed the principles of traditional etiquette. Women were especially likely to agree that "I like to see good table manners" (4.60, vs. 4.22 for men), "Swearing and cursing in public is not acceptable" (4.34, vs. 4.06 for men) and "I don't like uncouth or boorish behavior" (4.23, vs. 4.00 for men). But it's not as though people today are indiscriminately sentimental about the past. One indication is that there was less agreement with the statements, "People were nicer to each other in previous eras" (women 3.95, men 3.76) and "I feel connected to the past" (women 3.74, men 3.69). Likewise, the survey's respondents were just mildly in disagreement with the idea that "Hanging onto the past means getting left behind" (women 2.74, men 2.92). People age 35-54 were more likely than the 18-34s or the 55-and-overs to dissent from this notion. We can speculate that they're tired of hearing their teenage offspring deride them as old fogeys.The last thing one expects to encounter these days is a badmouthing of "self-fulfillment." If the founders were drafting the Declaration of Independence today, it surely would say that we're all entitled to "life, liberty and self-fulfillment." But there can be too much of a good thing. The charge that "Our society has become too focused on self-fulfillment" drew a positive score of 4.24 from women and 3.93 from men. (Note, how-ever, that the wording of the question tends to prompt an affirmative response.) Naturally, this doesn't mean people will blithely forgo fulfilling their own selves. And if that means ditching some traditional mores, so be it. Thus, respondents were only a bit more likely to disagree than to agree that "I need to change some of my values, otherwise I will miss the bus" (women 2.70, men 2.93).

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Consumers' Penchant For Novelty Doesn't Include Manners And Morals

Mark Dolliver

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Mark Dolliver