Fewer Americans Believe in Achieving the American Dream, Poll Finds

• A new poll reveals that 46% of Americans believe everyone has the opportunity to achieve the American Dream, a decrease from 51% in 2024.
• The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD)-Gallup American Dream Study found that 54% of respondents disagree with the notion that everyone has the chance to achieve the American Dream.
• Concerns about the economy and personal finances are cited as contributing factors to this sentiment.
• The poll was conducted from January 7 to March 4, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.48 percentage points.

Fewer Americans now believe that everyone has the opportunity to achieve the American Dream, according to a new poll. The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD)-Gallup American Dream Study found that 46 percent of respondents "strongly agree" or "somewhat agree" with the idea that "everyone in this country has the opportunity to achieve the American Dream." This figure is down from 51 percent in 2024.

Conversely, 54 percent of those polled said they "strongly disagree" or "somewhat disagree" with the statement, an increase from 49 percent in the previous year. The poll's findings come ahead of America's 250th anniversary, a time often associated with celebrating the American Dream.

Recent polling has indicated widespread concerns among Americans regarding the economy and their personal finances. Data from the Department of Labor released last week showed that the annual inflation rate recently rose to a three-year peak, attributed to increased energy and goods costs amid the U.S. war against Iran.

Another recent poll by Reuters/Ipsos revealed that over a third of Americans do not believe their country will exist 250 years from now. The MCAAD-Gallup poll was conducted between January 7 and March 4, surveying 6,381 adults, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.48 percentage points.