The Cultural Creatives

“Cultural Creative” is a term coined by Paul H. Ray, Ph.D. to describe people whose values embrace a curiosity and concern for the world, its ecosystem, and its people; an awareness of and activism for peace and social justice. On the basis of Ray's research, about 50 million Americans are Cultural Creatives, a group that includes people of all races, ages, and classes. This group will have enormous social and political clout as it continues to gain full consciousness of itself as a cohesive unit.

American society is now divided into 3 main sub-groups:

• Traditionalists: 28% of Americans — 54 million people.
   
• Modernists: 47% of Americans — 88 million people
   
• Cultural Creatives: 25% of the population — 50 million, and growing fast.
  

Are you a Cultural Creative?*

If you agree with 10 or more or the following statements, you probably are one - and a higher score increases the odds. You are likely to be a Cultural Creative if...

• You love nature and are deeply concerned about its destruction.
   
• You are strongly aware of the problems of the whole planet (global warming, destruction of rain forests, overpopulation, lack of ecological sustainability, exploitation of people in poorer countries) and want to see more action to address these problems coming from the private sector as well as government agencies.
   
• You would pay more taxes or would pay more for consumer goods if you knew the money would go to clean up the environment and stop global warming.
   
• You give a lot of importance to helping other people and bringing out their unique gifts.
   
• You volunteer for one or more good causes.
   
• You see religion and spirituality as important in your life.
   
• You want more equality for women at work, and more women leaders in business and politics.
   
• You are concerned about violence and the abuse of women and children around the world.
   
• You want politics and government spending to put more emphasis on children's education and well-being, on rebuilding our neighborhoods and communities, and on creating an ecologically sustainable future.
   
• You are unhappy with both the left and the right in politics, and want to find a new way that is not in the mushy middle.
   
• You tend to be rather optimistic about our future and distrust the cynical and pessimistic view so often supported by the media.
   
• You want to be involved in creating a new and better way of life in our country.
   
• You are concerned about what big corporations are doing in the name of making more profits: downsizing, creating environmental problems, and exploiting poorer countries.
   
• You have your finances and spending under control, and are not concerned about overspending.
   
• You dislike all the overemphasis in modern culture on success and “making it”, on getting more and spending more, on wealth and luxury goods.
   
• You like people and places that are exotic and foreign, and like experiencing and learning about other ways of life.
   

* Excerpted from The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing The World, Paul H. Ray, Ph.D. and Sherry Ruth Anderson Ph.D.© 2000, Third River Press.