The American dream is dead, people tell pollsters: "A new Wall Street Journal-NORC poll finds that the share of people who say they have a good chance of improving their standard of living fell to 25%, a record low in surveys dating to 1987," reports The Wall Street Journal. "More than three-quarters said they lack confidence that life for the next generation will be better than their own, the poll found."
And "nearly 70% of people said they believe the American dream—that if you work hard, you will get ahead—no longer holds true or never did, the highest level in nearly 15 years of surveys."
Interestingly, though inflation has abated from its recent highs in 2022, people's sense that it's affecting their bottom line has not eased: "The share saying rising prices were causing them major financial strains, at 28% of all respondents, was identical to a Journal-NORC poll in March 2023, when inflation was at 5%, higher than the 2.7% of today. The share saying inflation caused them minor strains, at 32%, was also unchanged."
