In December 1973, in a Roper survey, 90 percent thought a car was a necessity as did 57 percent a TV and 26 percent home air conditioning. Views about cars haven’t changed, tho as the poll responses below suggest, more Americans now think they can’t live without televisions (64 percent) and air conditioning (70 percent). In a 1983 Roper survey, 4 percent thought a home computer was a necessity. People are divided about cell phones.