A new report from the Institute for Governance and Civics (IGC) at Florida State University finds that Americans are more skeptical about the future of the American Dream for the nation than for their own families, with a majority saying the American Dream is not alive and well in the United States today.
Key Findings:
- 55% say the American Dream is not alive and well nationally, while 30% say it is.
- 47% say it is unlikely that their children will be better off economically than their parents.
Political ideology is a stronger predictor of belief than income or employment status: 38% of very conservative respondents say the American Dream is alive and well, compared with 10% of very liberal respondents
Historical data shows that attitudes about the American Dream rise and fall with economic and political conditions, rather than steadily declining over time
Florida adults express slightly more optimism than the national sample about both the nation and their own families’ prospects, but pessimism still outweighs optimism
“These findings suggest that attitudes toward the American Dream are not simply reflections of economic hardship,” said Ryan Owens, Director of the Institute for Governance and Civics.
“Americans consistently express more pessimism about the country as a whole than about their own families,” said Zach Goldberg, research faculty member and co-author of the report. “That pattern appears in our current survey and in historical data.”
