WANT, WANT, WANT

ET CETERA

THE60 MINUTES/VANITY FAIRPOLL

So, 27 years after Wall Street, is greed good? Yes!, according to a less-than-resounding one in five Americans. Or, to put it another way, No! Greed, we seem to feel, is not good. In fact, judging from this month's poll, we don't hold it in high regal'd at all, maybe because we see it everywhere. For instance, bankers—greed personified, to some people—are barely in the running for greediest professionals. They rank a lowly fourth, behind lobbyists, lawyers, and Hollywood/sports agents.

So markedly have we turned our back on acquisitiveness that more of us—especially more Republicans—say that the key to success is not greed but selflessness. One thing on which Republicans and Democrats agree is that politicians are driven mostly by greed. The theory that they're motivated primarily by good is embraced by only a small minority (mostly politicians?), regardless of political affiliation. There's one area where we don't detect greed, and maybe it's just the collective romantic in us. When Americans see an attractive young woman with an older, less attractive man, a majority think... nothing of it at all. Only 38 percent believe "she's with him for the money." Charmingly, that number drops even lower, to 26 percent, among men over 65.

{@vf.com SEE THE COMPLETE POLL RESULTS.

Who is more likely to be successful?

Which of these professions is the greediest?

Are politicians driven mostly by good, or mostly by greed?

When celebrities sell their wedding photos, they're

What would you do if your grandmother left you a diamond necklace?

Agree or disagree Greed is good.

What would you do if you were up $5,000 at blackjack?

What comes to mind when you see an older man with a younger attractive woman?

Which of these is the greediest movie character?

How would you order if someone else was picking up the tab?

Who's avaricious the most of us all? Wall Street's Gordon Gekko gave us a famous phrase, but for once his industry does not come out on top.

This poll was conducted behalf of CBS News be Social Science Research Solutions of Media, Pennsylvania, among a random sample of 1,000 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone September 10-14, 2014. Some low-percentage answer choices have been omitted.