Final answer:
The average US citizen's buying power more than doubled during the last four decades due to factors such as the rise in GDP and improvements in the quality of products.
Step-by-step explanation:
The average US citizen's buying power more than doubled during the last four decades. In other words, the US economy has increased real production of goods and services by nearly a factor of four since 1960, which accounts for the significant increase in buying power. This improvement in buying power is attributed to factors such as the rise in GDP, improvements in the quality of products, and the invention of new products.