CSSN-Inequality rises, faith in 'American Dream' falters

Inequality rises, faith in 'American Dream' falters

Author : Source : The Conversation 2014-11-27

The guarantee of “the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is perhaps the best-known phrase of the Declaration of Independence. These words and the promise they offer of an opportunity to seek fulfilling lives are the basis of the American Dream.

But there is now increasing debate—and not only among politicians—about the extent to which the American Dream and the right to the pursuit of happiness are equally available to all citizens.

Through the study of what is sometimes known as “the economics of happiness,” social scientists have found the United States is trending toward increasingly unequal access to opportunity.

The starkest differences found between the scores of poor and rich Americans are their attitudes toward the belief that hard work can get you ahead. These beliefs, one might argue, form the bulwark of the American Dream. And yet, according to a recent Pew poll, the number of Americans who still hold true to that creed has dropped from 68 percent to 61 percent over the past decade.

The American public has been surprisingly tone deaf to discussions of increasing income inequality. Perhaps attention to the unequal “pursuit of happiness” will stir broader public debate.

Editor: Du Mei