It’s becoming increasingly popular in our society for people to live simpler these days. Many are embracing the minimalist movement, and it’s a wise lifestyle choice for those looking to live less by trying to keep what they only need. Perhaps, it is the responsible thing to do if you realize you’re consuming more than is necessary.

On the other hand, some prefer living in a purely maximalist space. Whatever the case may be, both are subjective. Thus, Real Research launched a survey on minimalist vs. maximalist to seek general public preference. Here are the results.

Highlights:

  • 89.94% have heard the terms ‘minimalist’ and ‘maximalist’
  • 58.05% consider themselves as minimalist
  • 57.55% blame pandemic for minimalism to trend among Millenials

Minimalist vs. Maximalist

The Survey on Minimalist vs. Maximalist started by differentiating the two. As a result of the first question, it reveals that 89.94% have already heard the terms ‘minimalist’ and ‘maximalist.’ Thus, leaving only 10.06% that are unfamiliar with such.

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Figure 1: Percentage of respondents that heard the terms minimalist and maximalist

Consequently, the survey asks respondents to identify themselves as minimalist vs. maximalist. In response, 58.05% consider themselves to be minimalist. On the other hand, 19.35% are maximalists, while 22.60% are a mixture of both.

Reasons to Live Minimalist vs. Maximalist Lifestyle

Furthermore, the survey on minimalist vs. maximalist asks respondents what reasons they have for living such lifestyles. As for the minimalist, 50.05% see a meaningful life in being such. Others see advantages such as saving money and energy (14.34%) and protecting the environment (6.53%).

why-they-have-become-minimalist
Figure 2: Respondents’ opinions on why they have become minimalist

Moreover, 9.89% want to achieve a simple life by becoming a minimalist, and a further 4.78% can see an increase in productivity this way.

On the other hand, 49.37% have become a maximalist as a way of owning everything. For similar reasons, 9.95% want to be ‘well-off’, 9.48% desire a stress-free life, and 8.91% hate restrictions from buying the things they want. More specifically, 10.98% treasure things to have something that reminds them of the past.

The Disadvantages of Minimalist vs. Maximalist

Accordingly, respondents also shared their opinions on the disadvantages of living a minimalist vs. maximalist lifestyle. As for the disadvantage of being a minimalist, 52.76% think they encounter problems in having things when needed the most. In addition, 15.16% see practicality as the only thing that matters for them, and 12.18% observe them easily getting stressed when seeing a messy place. A further 8.02% consider their lifestyle as a boring life as well.

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Figure 3: Respondents’ opinions on the disadvantages of being a maximalist

Meanwhile, 55.84% observe unhappiness and discontent as a disadvantage of being a maximalist. A further 17.05% think being so reduces the capacity to concentrate by having too much. Others notice them having difficulty setting restrictions on themselves (15.43%) and feeling disorganized most of the time (11.03%).

Finally, the survey on minimalist vs. maximalist seeks to find opinions as to why minimalism is a trend for most millennials. Here, 57.55% blame the effects of the pandemic on the economy. As a result, people nowadays invest in experiences rather than material possessions.

Additionally, 17.75% consider the ever-present environmental concerns, and another 9.10% observe growing awareness of inequality, which causes people to be sensitive about living their lives. Nonetheless, 8.80% reason it is solely for aesthetics, and a further 6.14% think it is due to the simplified designs of modern technology.

Methodology

Survey TitleSurvey on Minimalist vs. Maximalist
DurationJuly 10- July 17- 2022
Number of Participants50,000
DemographicsMales and females, aged 21 to 99
Participating Countries Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, China (Hong Kong) China (Macao), China (Taiwan), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greanada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Maluritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar [Burma], Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.