See Rich-Poor Gap Increasing

Nearly three-in-four Americans (73%) now agree with this statement: “Today it’s really true that the rich get richer while the poor get poorer”—an increase of eight percentage points since 2002 and the highest number in agreement since the early 1990s. The belief that “the rich just get richer” has increased significantly among people with relatively high annual incomes. Nearly two-thirds of those with household incomes of at least $75,000 (65%) agree that the richer are getting richer; in 2003, only about half of those in this income category (51%) shared this sentiment. More people with somewhat lower annual incomes – between $50,000 and $74,999 – also see the rich-poor gap growing (10-point increase). Large majorities of less wealthy Americans already believed that the rich-poor gap was widening, but this attitude has not gained support since 2003. Consequently, the difference in attitudes between those with high and low incomes has narrowed considerably since 2003.Read More