Figure 10 shows people's responses to a list of possible actions Americans could take to reduce the amount we consume and the level of materialism in our society. They are willing to buy fewer toys for their children and grandchildren, and want to spend more time working on community service and less time shopping. Unhappy with our materialistic way of life, people clearly are ready to talk about changing our priorities. They would like to have our society move away from greed and excess, and toward a way of life more centered on values, community, and family. But when it comes to actually making that change happen, a number of obstacles arise.
Individual change is easy to envisage.
If you want to find a way to get unstressed, you can do that. If you want to slow your pace, you can do that. The most common changes were reducing work hours, changing to a lower-paying job, and quitting work to stay at home. Downshifters offer a wide range of reasons for making these changes in their lives. I just had a little boy.