Much of what Americans used to consider luxuries are now seen as necessities, but can things go the other way? A new Pew Research Center poll says yes, they can and do.

No longer do substantial majorities of Americans say a microwave oven, a television set or even home air conditioning is a necessity. Instead, nearly half or more now see each of these items as a luxury, and the proportion that considers a dishwasher or a clothes dryer to be essential has dropped sharply since 2006.

According to the report, only 32 % of adults considered a microwave a necessity in 1996, but by 2006, it had shot up to 68%. Today it is at 47%. Similarly, just 52% of the public in the latest poll say a television set is a necessity -- down 12 percentage points from 2006 and the smallest share to call a TV a necessity since this question was first posed more than 35 years ago.

The survey finds that people who consider a cell phone a necessity--49% of the public, including a disproportionate share of young adults who are significantly less inclined to feel the same way about a landline phone.

There's been no significant change in the number deeming a computer for home use to be a necessity, 50 percent this year, 51 percent in 2006. Similarly, the proportion who deem high-speed Internet service to be a necessity also showed no significant change, 31 percent this year up from 29 percent in 2006.

Meanwhile, eight percent of respondents said a flat screen TV is a necessity while only 4 percent of Americans consider an iPod a necessity.