Fewer in new poll say anyone can achieve American Dream

Fewer Americans are saying that anyone can achieve the American Dream than in the past, according to a new poll.

In the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD)-Gallup American Dream Study, 46 percent of respondents said they either “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree” with the idea that “everyone in this country has the opportunity to achieve the American Dream,” down 51 percent in 2024.

Fifty-four percent in the poll said they either “strongly disagree” or “somewhat disagree” with the idea that everyone in the U.S. has the chance to achieve the American Dream, up from 49 percent in 2024.

The poll comes ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, a time when many will likely celebrate the idea of the American Dream and the struggles of their ancestors while pursuing the Dream.

However, in recent polling, Americans have expressed concerns about the economy and their finances. The annual inflation rate also recently rose to a three-year peak as the cost of energy and other goods increased due to the U.S. war against Iran, data from the Department of Labor released last week found.

In another recent poll, from Reuters/Ipsos, over a third of Americans did not believe their country would exist 250 years from now.

The MCAAD-Gallup poll took place from Jan. 7 to March 4, featuring 6,381 adults and a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.48 percentage points.

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