Money Is Up. Patriotism and Religion Are Down.

“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...