Money Is Up. Patriotism and Religion Are Down.
Culture,Religion And Faith,Money,Economy And Jobs,Patriotism,Polls
“I just want a nice job with a nice amount of money and a nice car and a nice house and stuff like that.” — Nate, 14, in a focus group conducted by the Opinion section of The New York Times
Nate, you speak for America. This week, The Wall Street Journal published a survey showing steep declines since 1998 in the shares of Americans who said patriotism and religion were very important to them. There were also big declines in the value placed on having children and being involved in the community.
A nice amount of money, though, is something people can get behind. “The only priority The Journal tested that has grown in importance in the past quarter-century is money, which was cited as very important by 43 percent in the new survey, up from 31 percent in 1998,” The Journal reported.
