A recent survey has found people are increasingly getting sick of accumulating stuff – this could be good news for the environment.
 
Euro RSCG Worldwide first looked at the topic of hyperconsumption toward the end of 2009. Their latest study “confirms the movement toward mindful consumption to one extent or another”.
  
Two-thirds of those surveyed were concerned with overconsumption in general – and it’s not just the “point the finger” type of worry. A majority recognised hyperconsumption in their own lives.
  
Half admitted to wasting cash on goods they didn’t need and 40% believed they would be happier with less stuff. You may be surprised where the feeling was strongest – India.
  
More than two thirds of those referred to as “mainstream consumers” and three quarters of “prosumers” said they felt good about cutting the amount of waste they generate and making environmentally friendly choices.
   
Among other key findings in the report:
   
– Sixty percent believed society is moving in the wrong direction.
– Fifty-two percent are concerned globalization is homogenizing the world
– Sixty-nine percent worry we have grown too disconnected from nature
   
Euro RSCG Worldwide surveyed 7,213 adults in 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
  
Dissatisfaction and disillusionment can be great motivators for change. What I found especially interesting was the fact this wasn’t a survey carried out just with burlap-wearing tree- hugging hippies, but a cross-section of the community. 
 
It would be nice to see “keeping up with the Joneses” not such a priority in people’s lives. In fact, the Joneses must die as they are killing us and the planet..
  
The full “Prosumer Report: This Digital Life” can be downloaded here.
 
By the way, it seems a prosumer means “professional consumer”; people who are supposedly better informed about products and tend to buy products that fall between professional and consumer grade standards.
 
Related:
 
What Is Downshifting?
The Story Of Stuff (video)
Consumption statistics