The death of the American Dream is greatly exaggerated, poll finds

The American Dream is alive and well.Two-thirds of US residents say they have either achieved the American Dream or are on their way to it, while a growing number believe it’s increasingly becoming a pipe dream, an America 250th anniversary survey found.The patriotic poll revealed 67% of respondents have achieved or are pursuing the American Dream, 64% believe the land of opportunity can unite Americans, and 71% say they have similar or more opportunities than their parents, according to the survey conducted for the Archbridge Institute think tank.Meanwhile, 73% of respondents said they’re proud to be an American, and 70% say being an American is an important part of their identity.However, the findings also show that optimism in the American Dream has dropped this year, with pessimism reaching an all-time high — surging from 18% in 2022 to 233% this year — since Archbridge launched the annual survey in 2020.And younger Americans are significantly more negative than older ones, according to the poll.Likewise, while over 80% of Americans are hopeful about their own future, only 58% say the same for the US writ large.Most Americans — 58% — believe in the American Dream while 41% do not.But only 48% of respondents believe most Americans can achieve the dream, while 52% think it’s unreachable.The “American Dream at 250” survey of 2,100 Americans — polled April 2-6 — also shows that US residents have concerns and struggles.For example, 43% of respondents worry that Artificial Intelligence will hinder their ability to achieve the American Dream, while only 18% said it would help them.

The remaining 39% believe it would have no effect.Of those who said the American Dream is out of reach, nearly two-thirds of respondents cited economic barriers as the culprit — more than all of the other reasons given combined.Still, 64% agree that the American Dream can unite Americans around a shared belief, regardless of their different backgrounds and viewpoints...