Final answer:
The proportion of promotional dollars spent on sales promotion has risen steadily since World War II, indicating a shift towards more sales promotion in marketing strategies.
Step-by-step explanation:
In recent years, the proportion of promotional dollars spent on sales promotion has risen steadily since World War II. This trend reflects a shift in marketing strategies where companies increasingly devote more resources to sales promotions as opposed to traditional forms of advertising. The changes in family expenses and savings, the adjustments in state and local government spending due to the recession, and the upward trend in spending and taxes of the U.S. federal government in the last few decades all indicate a broader trend of increased expenditures across different sectors of the economy.