From tinier homes and fewer kids to less vacation time and longer commutes, America's aspirations are getting smaller by the day.
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The Lede
The idealized image of American life we know today was crystallized in the country's collective imagination in the 1930s. Since then, the idea that anyone can obtain a life that has the house with the white picket fence, 2.5 children, a lucrative career at an office that's a reasonable distance away, and the occasional trip to an enviable vacation spot loomed large in nearly every facet of cultural and political life. There's just one problem: The once expansive vision is getting smaller.
Key Details
- Among the 8,709 US adults surveyed by the Pew Research Center, 41% said that achieving the American dream was once possible but no longer.
- Americans are increasingly less satisfied with their personal lives, Gallup polling found. And even among those who might have achieved the American dream — higher earners with college degrees — life satisfaction has slipped.
- The central element of the dream is owning a house. Shrinking homes are coupled with another biting reality: Americans are paying more for less.
