Most Adults Don’t Believe The American Dream Is Attainable As Housing, Healthcare, And Living Costs Soar
A majority of Americans believe the American dream is slipping further out of reach, according to a new survey conducted by CNBC and SurveyMonkey. The survey of 4,130 U.S. adults...
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A majority of Americans believe the American dream is slipping further out of reach, according to a new survey conducted by CNBC and SurveyMonkey.
The survey of 4,130 U.S. adults found that 51% of respondents say the American dream is “out of reach for most people right now,” while 45% believe it is attainable for only some people. Just 6% said it remains accessible to everyone.
When asked what defines the American dream today, 72% of those surveyed said they would need to achieve financial stability to feel they had attained the dream. Respondents pointed to several obstacles, with roughly 4 in 5 Americans identifying the cost of living as a major barrier. Meanwhile, 3 in 5 cited rising home prices, along with healthcare expenses and low wages, as frequently mentioned challenges.
The findings reflect a broader decline in confidence about economic mobility in the U.S. Elizabeth Suhay, a political scientist at American University, told CNBC that Americans are increasingly “less likely to believe the American economy is meritocratic” and less likely to view it as a system that “delivers economic success to a typical hardworking person.” She added that fewer people believe lower-income Americans can successfully work their way up the economic ladder than in previous decades.
The survey also found notable differences in how Americans define success based on their political affiliation. Seventy percent of Republican-leaning respondents said the American dream is within reach for most or all people in the U.S. today, whereas just 26% of Democratic-leaning respondents agreed. Republicans also stated that the dream is attainable through hard work, while Democratic-leaning respondents were more likely to cite luck as a contributing factor. Furthermore, Republicans were more likely to associate achieving the American dream with homeownership, marriage, and having children, while Democrats placed greater emphasis on career fulfillment, higher education, and having the financial freedom to pursue personal interests.
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