More than two-thirds of Koreans consider money the most important sign of success, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Korea and China topped the poll of 24,000 people in 23 countries on the question at 69 percent.
They were followed by India (67 percent) and Japan (63 percent).
But respondents in Western countries regard money as a less important indicator of success. A mere 27 percent of Canadians thought money spells success, followed by Swedes (28 percent), Dutch (29 percent), and French (32 percent).
Even in the U.S., only 33 percent of Americans agreed that money means success, and 67 percent disagreed. The worldwide average is 43 percent.
The young are more materialistic, with 48 percent of the under-35s seeing money as the hallmark of success, compared with 35 percent of those aged 55 and older.
Eighty-four percent of Koreans, Japanese and Chinese said money is more important than it used to be.
