Our Six Spheres of Activity
Message from Ervin Laszlo, founder and president of The Club of Budapest, co-founder of the WorldShift Foundation and president of its board of trustees.
The Club of Budapest is Founding Member
of the Global Marshall Plan Initiative
Listen to the Interview with Erwin Laszlo by
Shift in Action
Listen to the Interview with Erwin Laszlo by Eva Herr from Infinite Consciousness
In 1995 sociologist Paul H. Ray, creative member of the Club of Budapest, published his findings after having carried out a large and remarkable study in the USA, questioning more than 100,000 people about the theme: How many people already think and act in a way which could be described as “sustainable” in a sense of an ecologically and socially global consciousness?
The results were a great surprise for everyone: more than 25 per cent of the population! And that despite the fact that the answers that were needed for such a classification were by no means noncommital, i.e.: “I would agree to pay more tax if I knew that it would entirely be used to protect the environment.“ Or: “I want for women to enjoy the same rights and are given more managerial responsibility in the work place.“
At least in the same way suprising was the result that the “Cultural Creatives“, which in their actions and thinking are clearly to be distinguished from the “traditionalists“ and the “modernists“, came from all layers of society. They simply are less visible because they are not subscribers to large organisations and parties where they do not feel at home, but rather take part in numerous small initiatives and circles. Due to their number, patterns of behaviour and consumption, they still represent a considerable and quickly growing part of society.
In 2004 The Club of Budapest decided to carry out analogous studies in numerous countries throughout the world. A preliminary study in the EU showed that the percentage of “Cultural Creatives“ in Europe is equivalent with the level in the USA. In the meantime surveys have been performed in Italy, Hungary, France, and Japan. They clearly show that a significant part of the population in these countries (well over 30%) no longer share the opinions of the mainstream and long for a substancial change in politics, economy and education.
Latest results
Click here to download the summary of Paul Ray's latest research, published in summer 2009.