Hmm... not too many less. As far as I'm concerned, chess is just important solitude after a long day. I don't take it too seriously, and I imagine few others to as well.
Suppose, there are no titles in Chess
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If there weren't titles, people would simply classify by rating range anyway.
I totally agree that Titles are like goals to a chess player. They are proofs that how much a player is well versed in chess.
Just for an imagination,there are no titles(GM, IM, FM, WGM, WIM etc) in Chess. Players are given Elo points and not titles. No matter how many points a player reaches, he/she will not be awarded titles.
Then what percentage of people who pursue chess right now would pursue it? Whether most people pursue chess out of the passion for the game or for the titles?