Poll Splits on Whether the American Dream is Achievable

This post was originally published on this site.

College graduates have a similar attitude regarding the American dream than those who do not have a degree, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center.

The survey noted that a 57% majority of adults with a bachelor’s degree or more education said the American dream remains possible, compared with 50% of those with less education.

About 53% of Americans polled the survey said the American dream is still possible. About 6% said it never existed as a possibility.

The survey, comprising 8,709 adults in the U.S., showed similar results across racial, ethnic, political, and educational demographics with the biggest differences between the youngest and oldest adults and between lower- and upper-income respondents.

About 39% of adults, ages 18-29, compared to 68% of adults over 65 years old. Nearly one-in-10 respondents, ages 18-49, said the American dream was never possible.

Though 64% of upper-income respondents said the American dream still exists, only 39% of lower-income Americans agreed.

The polling concluded, in part, that Americans are still divided over whether they think they personally can achieve the American dream.

Some 31% of those surveyed said they have achieved the American dream, 36% said they are on their way to achieving it, and another 30% said the dream out of reach for them —nearly the same result the center received from the question in 2022.