Evolution of the American Dream
Even two centuries before Adams used the phrase, the American Dream was a popular idea. Settlers and pioneers moved west in search of a better life in the 18th and 19th century; immigrants fled tyranny, religious persecution, and economic calamity for the United States, seeking a better life in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The collective idea, however, lost much of its luster in the wake of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. Instead, Americans increasingly favored a consumer-driven capitalist economy over a communitarian society, leading to a widespread loss of faith in the American Dream.
A November 2023 Wall Street Journal/NORC survey -- which defined the American Dream as the idea that if you work hard, you'll get ahead -- found only 36% of voters said they believe in the American Dream, a significant decline from the 53% who subscribed to the idea in 2012. Half of the people surveyed agreed that the political and economic systems are "stacked against people like me." Only 28% of voters younger than 50 said they still felt they could advance if they worked hard.
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