Partisans are divided over the fairness of the U.S. economy – and why people are rich or poor
Around six-in-ten U.S. adults say the nation’s economic system unfairly favors powerful interests, though partisans are divided. Partisan differences extend to beliefs about why people are rich or poor.
Latinos are more likely to believe in the American dream, but most say it is hard to achieve
Hispanics are more likely than the general U.S. public to believe in the American dream – that hard work will pay off and that each generation is better off than the one prior.
Why people are rich and poor: Republicans and Democrats have very different views
Beyond partisan differences over economic policies, there are stark divisions on a fundamental question: What makes someone rich or poor?
Resilient American Values
Public Attitudes Toward the Next Social Contract
Recent deliberations in Washington have triggered a national debate about key elements of the social safety net. Why the U.S. invests relatively less in its social safety net than many other countries reflect Americans’ conflicted, partisan and often contradictory views on fairness, inequality, the role and responsibility of government and individuals in society and the efficacy of government action.
The World Is Losing Faith in Hard Work
Add faith in the work ethic and in capitalism to the lengthening list of casualties from the Great Recession. Four years after the Lehman Brothers’ fiasco and the ensuing global economic downturn, the idea that effort in a competitive economy can lead to success is seriously questioned in a number of major economies, including Japan, Russia and Greece, especially among those who have suffered the most.
Pervasive Gloom About the World Economy
The economic mood is exceedingly glum around the world. Across the 21 countries surveyed, a median of just 27 percent think their national economy is doing well. Only in China, Germany, Brazil and Turkey do most people report that current national economic conditions are good.
For the Public, It’s Not about Class Warfare, But Fairness
Confidence in Democracy and Capitalism Wanes in Former Soviet Union
The American-Western European Values Gap
American values differ from those of Western Europeans in many important ways. Most notably, Americans are more individualistic and are less supportive of a strong safety net than are the publics of Spain, Britain, France and Germany. However, Americans are coming closer to Europeans in not seeing their culture as superior to that of other nations.
