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Big Majority Say American Dream Is Dead

September 1, 2025 · 10:22 pm ET · Leave a Comment

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.”

“More than three-quarters said they lack confidence that life for the next generation will be better than their own, the poll found.”

“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.”

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Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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