Changing values and lifestyles

It has been apparent for several years that changes in people's values in the United States, have been occurring more frequently and having greater impact than has previously been experienced. The most significant impacts appear to be coming from people whose values and lifestyles are considerably less materialistic than traditional American values.Work at SRI, spanning more than a decade, had identified a new and rapidly growing group of people, the ‘inner directeds’; while more traditional groups—‘outer directeds’ and ‘money restricted’—have been declining as percentages of the population. These three major groups and their subdivisions are described in the article and particular emphasis is given to the inner directed group since it is likely to have the greatest impact on business, the market and government.