PUBLIC OPINION > Rich People Want Money, Lower Incomes Prefer Respect
SodaHead Living
2012/06/25 16:00:00
A series of studies conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, found that respect tends to have a stronger effect on students' "social well-being" than socioeconomic status, and that gaining or losing respect tends to correspond with a student's sense of power. So we asked the public if respect makes them happier than money does.
It was interesting to see how split the responses were, but in the end respect won out over money by a narrow margin. It seems to be a somewhat fundamental difference between the way people perceive social status. Both money and respect can "win" people over. The one edge respect seemed to have over money was that money can sometimes attract two-faced friends. But let's take a closer look at the demographic breakdown.
Have Money, Will Smile
The first thing we checked out was the income breakdown, and as you might expect, there was a clear difference. You've probably heard the saying that you can't buy happiness, but according to poll results, you can. The more money respondents made, the more likely they were to say money brings happiness. As Daniel Tosh once said, money does buy a Sea-Doo. And you can't frown on a Sea-Doo.
Progressives Want Respect
Polls dealing with money generally have political implications. Right-leaning respondents believe in the freedom to pursue their fortunes, while left-leaning respondents are more likely to sacrifice some of that opportunity for equality. Not surprisingly, progressives and libertarians voted more strongly than liberals and conservatives.
Men Are More Into Money
The gender breakdown wasn't very big, just 10%, but it's an interesting statistic to put forth. In a recent poll we discovered that most people think men are less moral than women, and a while back we found that the public feels well-off people are more likely to cheat. However, women tend to fall for jerks, so it's not like it matters all that much in the end.
If you'd like to vote on this question, dig deeper into the demographics, or engage in existing discussion about the topic, visit our poll about money and respect. We'd love to hear from you!
Top Opinion
-
(▪‿▪)DoctorWhoGuru(▪‿▪) 2012/06/26 01:43:55
Refuse to sell out
I can pickup on the respect later...whatever.
Once you have been on the bottom...you realize respect is NOT going to make you happy.
I need good food, and travel to make me happy...and my bills paid on time.
Only money can do that. That lower income groups see that differently is a tad confusing, because I'm in the lower income group right now. I need enough money that I can enjoy myself.
Being in some out of the way place, enjoying the view...nobody knows me much anyway.
Give me electronic toys, big beautiful houses, boats and planes, and comfortable surroundings anytime, with a cook that knows what I like and a maid.to keep my spaces clean..and I'm definitely happy. After everything is covered...give me a home theater and high tech game projection system with a comfy chair, and a fast Internet connection with wireless keyboard...and I'm all set!
Give me a website where millions can drop in a dollar...and I'll be super happy for sure.
I could agree with you?
Answer my question and stop avoiding genuine discussion.
So, in a sense, money makes me happy, because the people, animals, and things that matter to me all make me happy, and they all cost money.
I've been rich and poor and wealth beats poor any day. People who don't earn wealth don't earn respect either.