rich or thin?
WHen AMeRICAn ADULTS WeRe ASKeD if they would most want to be richer, thinner, smarter, or
younger, 43 percent professed that they would want to be richer, the largest group “wish.” The new Harris
Poll of U.S. adults, by Samantha braverman, project researcher, found that 21 percent of Americans would
like to be thinner, 14 percent said smarter, and 12 percent said younger. And different strokes become apparent as preferred traits are chosen depending on the segment.
Desirable Attributes “Given a choice of the following, which one would you most want
to be?” (Percent of category, base: All U.S. adults)
ATTRIBUTE ToTAL GENDER AGE
Although just 14 percent of both men
and women say they would choose to be
smarter, that’s the only characteristic
they agree on. Some 46 percent of men
say that they would choose to be richer
compared with 41 percent of women,
while 29 percent of women say that
they would most want to be thinner,
compared with just 14 percent of men.
And while women have the stereotype of
lying about their age, 16 percent of men
say they would most want to be younger,
compared with just 8 percent of women.
Older Americans are more likely to
want to be younger. Of those aged 55 and
older, 19 percent choose younger, compared with:
■ ■ 14 percent of those aged 45
to 54
■ ■ 12 percent of those 35 to 44
■ ■ 4 percent of those who are
18 to 34 years old
Young adults who may be
early in their careers or starting
families are more focused on
their finances than are adults in
later life-stages. Some 50 per-
cent of Americans aged 18 to 34
and 53 percent of those aged 35
to 44 say they would most want
to be richer, compared with 41
percent of those aged 45 to 54
and just 34 percent of adults
aged 55 and older.
Similarly, 48 percent of
adults with children in the
home say they would want to
be richer, compared with 41 percent of adults who do not have
children at home.
male
Female 18-34 35-44 45-54
41% 50% 53% 41%
29% 23% 15% 24%
14% 16% 12% 14%
8% 4% 12% 14%
9% 6% 8% 8%
CHILDREN IN HH
55+
Has
Children
in Home
No
Children
in Home
34% 48% 41%
22% 20% 22%
13% 14% 14%
19% 10% 13%
12% 8% 9%
And, according to an earlier Har-
ris Poll reported by Marketing Charts,
the percentage of U.S. adults who are
overweight and obese has risen in the
past five years. Using the body mass index
The proportion of overweight
U.S. adults peaked at 66 percent
in 2006 and 2009. Last year
marked the highest percentage
of obese U.S. adults.
(BMI) measurement, in 2010, 64 percent
of U.S. adults had a BMI score of
25 or more, indicating they are
overweight. An additional 29 percent of U.S. adults had a BMI of 30
or more, indicating obesity.
