Widespread prosperity.
A society in which a large proportion of members possess
purchasing power in excess of that required for any necessary
level of well-being is categorized as affluent. In an affluent
society, most individuals satisfy their basic sustenance, accommodation, and entertainment needs. Beyond that level, sufficient wealth exists for many people to consume goods that
offer only trivial value. An affluent society has resources to
protect members from problems such as the loss of income
and extra expense due to unemployment and health crises.
With the availability of a wide range of goods, many of
which consumers do not need, producers are forced to create
a demand through marketing and advertising. Continued
economic growth requires the continuous creation of new
demands to absorb the ever-increasing volume of production. Consumer purchases become increasingly influenced by
the marketing of brand images rather than specific products.
Even in the midst of affluence, an inequality of wealth
exists, with some people living in great poverty. As the
requirements of producers evolve to take precedence over
those of consumers, individuals who lack enough disposable
income to afford the advertised lifestyle frequently buy on
credit, leading them to live beyond their means. Demands by
individual consumers, encouraged by marketing, may
increase at the expense of the public good. Consumers who
move to the suburbs for bigger, newer homes cause increased
poverty in the inner urban areas and a crumbling infrastructure in many of the formerly tax-wealthy cities. The tax burden shifts to the expanding suburbs (for road, sanitation,
water, and other systems) and lessens the amount of tax
money available to major cities.
In the United States, the post–World War II era produced
a period of affluence beginning in the 1950s. Most Americans
realized an increase in disposable income, even though the
majority of women remained outside the workforce. Families
during this period purchased automobiles, homes in the suburbs, and modern appliances. Poverty did continue but
remained overshadowed by the affluence of the majority.
During the 1960s it became apparent that not everyone in
the United States enjoyed a prosperous lifestyle. President
Lyndon B. Johnson attempted to address this disparity in
wealth through the Great Society program. However, a gap
continues to exist into the twenty-first century.