Poll: Only Half Of Americans Believe In “The American Dream”

A new ABC News poll states that only half of American citizens still believe in The American Dream. Or, depending on the type of person you are, half of Americans no longer believe in The American Dream.

The polls results indicate that when asked, “Do you think The American Dream — that if you work hard, you’ll get ahead — still holds true, never held true, or once held true but does not anymore?” 50% of Americans answered with “still true,” 43% with “once true,” and an entire 4% with “never true.”

But the numbers within the numbers are just as revealing. 57% of those who make 75K or more a year said “still true,” whereas only 46% of those making 25K and under answered similarly. Geography also played a role; 58% of the American West still believe in The American Dream, compared to 46% of those in the so-called rust-belt. The poll also broke down the numbers along racial lines, saying that 57% of whites still believe in the Dream, while only 48% of non-whites agreed.

Other revelations from the poll: When asked if they’d rather have Barack Obama or George W. Bush in charge of “economic policy right now,” 52% reported Obama, and 35% said Bush.

And the poll’s final question might be the most damning to those in Washington:

On another subject, if you had children, would you want your own son or daughter to grow up to be a candidate for U.S. Congress, or would you rather see them pick another line of work?

Only 25% of respondents wished a congressional future for their children. Burn.