Majority Believes They Will Achieve the American Dream

250 years after American independence, a majority of people in the United States continue to believe in their personal American Dream. 69 percent of those interviewed by Gallup in the beginning of the year say that they will achieve it in their lifetime. This is in contrast, though, to 54 percent saying that not everybody can achieve the American Dream in this day and age.

While in a question about other people, Americans' answers are driven by a more sober view, positivity still prevails in regard to one's own success story. 58 percent of Americans also say that they think the American dream is unfinished, a further indication for the disillusionment many feel with the idea in the current environment. The number is similar among Republicans and Democrats. Republicans, however, are more likely to say that the American Dream has succeeded and less likely to say that it has failed.

When asked what the American Dream means for them in an open-ended question, a third of respondents mention freedoms and individual rights, while 28 percent say financial stability or homeownership. Only 18 percent mention upward mobility explicitly.