60% of Americans Satisfied With Ability to Get Ahead

Sixty percent of Americans are happy with the opportunity for a person in the U.S. to get ahead by working hard, according to Gallup’s Mood of the Nation survey.

This is up from the 54% last year, which was comparable to satisfaction levels measured in the prior three years. However, from 2001 through 2008, Americans’ satisfaction with the ability to get ahead by working hard was higher, ranging from 77% to 66%.

Americans’ satisfaction with the chances to get ahead are clearly linked to their views of the economy; when the recession hit and economic confidence dropped, as did Americans’ satisfaction with the chance to get ahead. With economic confidence moving back up again, so are views on mobility.

The ability to get ahead by hard work is just one component within the broad spectrum of concerns about economic inequality. Another component is satisfaction with the way income and wealth are appropriated.

Americans’ satisfaction is much lower on this level, with 31% satisfied and 67% dissatisfied, then on the ability to get ahead.

Americans can be placed into four categories based on their responses to these two questions:

  • A little less than a third (31%) of Americans are not satisfied with both the opportunity to move up and the current system of income and wealth distribution;
  • Another quarter (24%) of Americans are satisfied with both economic mobility and economic equality;
  • Most of the rest (35%) are satisfied with the opportunity for mobility in the country, but not the amount of equality; and
  • A small group (7%) are dissatisfied with mobility, but OK with the distribution of income and wealth.

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