Americans’ faith in democracy shows troubling signs as only 22% trust their government, while 53% think the United States functions poorly as a democracy. A January 2024 Gallup poll reveals that American satisfaction with democracy’s workings has plummeted to 28%—down dramatically from 61% in 1984. The numbers paint an alarming picture: 32% of Americans would support military rule or a strong leader who could act without interference from other governmental branches.
The American Dream’s promise seems increasingly hollow. Americans once believed everyone had a fair chance at success, but reality tells a different story. Social mobility has dropped significantly in recent decades. Today’s young Americans face a stark reality—they’ll likely end up poorer than their parents. The democratic system itself shows fundamental flaws, with two presidents in the last 20 years winning office despite losing the popular vote.
Americans express more dissatisfaction with their government than citizens of almost any other democracy. The gap between democratic promises and reality continues to widen. This piece explores the American Dream’s evolution, the concerning fact that 23% of Americans believe “true American patriots may have to resort to violence” to protect their country, and questions whether this national ideal can survive amid rising inequality and democratic challenges.
The original American Dream: A vision of equality
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The meaning of the american dream meaning today is different from its roots. What started as a vision of collective uplift and moral character has changed profoundly throughout our nation’s history.
James Truslow Adams and the dream of common good
Historian James Truslow Adams popularized the phrase “American Dream” in his 1931 bestseller The Epic of America during the Great Depression. Adams saw it as “a dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with chance for each according to ability or achievement.” He made it clear that this was “not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, whatever the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”
Adams believed the American Dream represented collective moral character and “commonweal” (common well-being), which stands in sharp contrast to today’s individualistic view. He cautioned that extreme wealth inequality posed one of the greatest threats to the American Dream. The system that “steadily increases the gulf between the ordinary man and the super-rich” was “wasteful and unjust” and “inimical to the American dream,” according to Adams.
The Main Reading Room at the Library of Congress embodied Adams’ perfect vision of the American Dream. Americans from all walks of life could gather “reading at their own library provided by their own democracy.” This picture of collective, peaceful self-improvement captured Adams’ true vision of the American Dream.
The American creed and democratic ideals
The American Dream’s roots go deeper than Adams, embedded in our nation’s founding documents. The Declaration of Independence states “all men are created equal” with “unalienable Rights” including “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” These ideas are the foundations upon which the American Dream would later flourish.
The “American Creed” emerged as a set of core democratic values that included liberty, equality, justice, and humanity. American schoolchildren before 1945 recited this creed, which opened with: “I believe in the United States of America, as a government of the people, by the people, for the people, whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed…”
Democracy in the US should benefit everyone according to the original American Dream and creed. Progressive-era reformers in the early 1900s used this concept to support taming monopoly capitalism and protecting workers. They wanted a social order with opportunities for all citizens rather than unlimited wealth accumulation.
Notwithstanding that, contradictions have always existed alongside this vision. The United States was “founded on both an ideal and a lie” – promising equality while denying freedom to one-fifth of the population. Marginalized groups throughout American history have fought to make the nation honor its founding ideals. Their deep belief in the American creed’s promise remained strong despite being excluded from its benefits.
How democracy in the US lost its way
The post-World War II era through the early 1970s marked a golden age of american democracy. This period brought substantial economic growth and prosperity that benefited everyone. People’s incomes grew faster and doubled after adjusting for inflation between the late 1940s and early 1970s. The 1970s brought a dramatic change that reshaped the American Dream forever.
From collective well-being to individual wealth
Economic chaos hit hard in the early 1970s. The oil embargo and recession of 1973-74 saw the Dow drop forty-five percent, which led to a fundamental change. The prime rate exceeded twenty percent by 1980. Inflation reached fourteen percent. Unemployment jumped from 3.5 percent in 1969 to 10.8 percent in 1982. This “stagflation” crisis combined high inflation with low growth. People started seeing government spending and high marginal tax rates as problems rather than solutions.
The focus shifted from protecting shared resources and collective well-being to individual economic freedom. Success became measured by metrics like gross domestic product (GDP). This new system often ignored socio-economic inequalities and their effects on global health.
The rise of neoliberalism and deregulation
A new ideology emerged from this economic uncertainty: neoliberalism. This political and economic philosophy supported free-market capitalism with minimal government involvement. President Reagan’s administration adopted Chicago School economic approaches. They cut taxes that helped the wealthy and reduced regulations.
Neoliberalism centered around four main elements:
- Deregulation of industries and financial markets
- Liberalization of global trade and capital flows
- Privatization of public services and assets
- Austerity measures reducing government spending
President Clinton continued this path. His administration pushed globalization through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and partially repealed the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999. The 1996 Telecommunications Act allowed media companies to merge. Leaders believed fewer market restrictions would boost productivity and competition.
The change from opportunity to inequality
These policies created significant collateral damage. Income gaps have grown much wider since the 1970s. Top earners saw their income grow much faster than middle or lower-income groups. The richest 10% owned over 67% of household wealth in the U.S. by 2024. The bottom half owned just 2.4%.
This wealth gap threatens democracy in the US. Research across countries shows one clear pattern: Democratic countries with bigger income gaps risk electing leaders who grab power and break norms. Unequal societies create groups who feel economic progress has left them behind and distrust elite institutions.
The changes since the 1970s have completely altered how has the american dream changed over time. The vision changed from shared progress to individual wealth building. America abandoned policies that spread prosperity widely. The current system concentrates economic and political power among few people, which puts American democracy at risk.
The cracks in American democracy today
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American democracy faces its toughest test yet, as public trust hits rock bottom. Just 4% of U.S. adults believe the political system works well, and about six in ten Americans doubt their democracy’s future. These numbers paint a grim picture of deep problems eating away at the nation’s democratic foundation.
Minority rule and broken representation
The American system now lets a minority control the majority, which goes against basic democratic principles. 70% of Americans will live in just 15 states with only 30 senators by 2040. This means a smaller group of people—mostly white, rural, and conservative—will have most of the Senate’s power. The House shows similar problems. 84% of seats were won by 10 points or more in 2024, and 81% of seats are already locked in for 2026—way before Election Day. Only 9% of races will be close enough to matter.
This problem goes beyond Congress. Two recent presidents won without getting the most votes. The public has lost faith too—81% of Americans think Congress members put their own money ahead of their job.
Polarization and institutional gridlock
The political divide keeps getting worse. 86% of Americans see both parties fighting each other instead of fixing problems. Trust in the system is so low that 28% of Americans dislike both major parties—the highest number in 30 years.
This divide has frozen Congress. They can’t pass basic spending bills on time, which leads to shutdowns that hurt federal workers. Both parties work together less often now, and fewer bipartisan bills make it through Congress.
Failures in delivering public services
Government services keep getting worse. Big government failures jumped from 1.6 per year between 1986 and 2001 to 3 per year after that. Basic services are in trouble—we lost 10,000 water and wastewater workers between 2019 and 2021.
Emergency services, police, and public transit face the same problems. Prison staff numbers dropped by nearly 20%, which puts everyone at risk. State and local governments now have 450,000 fewer employees than they did in February 2020.
These problems show that american democracy is cracking under pressure. This isn’t a temporary rough patch—it’s a system that’s failing to serve its people or live up to its promises.
The impact on everyday Americans
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Economic realities now clash with the promise of prosperity that many Americans hope for. The American Dream seems out of reach for many people. About 60% of respondents say economic conditions are their biggest barrier to achieving it.
Stagnant wages and rising debt
The American wage-to-inflation gap sits at -1.2 percentage points, that indicates paychecks haven’t kept up with price increases in the last four years. Most Americans with household incomes below $50,000 (67%) worry about surprise medical bills. Many others (54%) fear they won’t make their rent or mortgage payments. People have found ways to cope with these pressures. More than 40% of Americans have dipped into savings while 37% rely on credit cards to pay bills.
Generational decline in social mobility
Children today have much lower chances of out-earning their parents. More than 90% of children born in 1940 earned more than their parents did. However, children born in the mid-1980s face only a 50-50 chance. The numbers look worse for Black children. About 42% of Black children whose parents were in the bottom income group stay there as adults. This compares to just 17% of White children. Communities with high poverty rates and weak social networks show this decline even more clearly.
Why many feel the American dream is dead
People’s opinions match this harsh economic reality. The American dream still holds true for only 27% of Americans—down from twice that number in 2010. People without college degrees feel even less optimistic at 22%. Most Americans (69%) ended up believing the American dream either doesn’t exist anymore or never did. People see it differently based on their situation. Half think it’s about having a chance to succeed, while the other half define it as stability. Income shapes these views too. Most high earners making over $250,000 (75%) see it as opportunity, but fewer people earning under $50,000 (45%) share this view.
Can the American dream be saved?
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The American public has lost faith in democracy, but we can refresh it through complete reforms. We need multiple approaches to fix systemic problems and rebuild trust in democratic institutions.
Reimagining democracy for the 21st century
We must rebuild our democratic foundations through structural reforms. New federal laws like the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act could remove voting barriers. Ballot measures give citizens the power to work around partisan roadblocks and let them take direct action. The situation remains critical as 49% of Americans don’t think democracy works properly.
Investing in education, health, and equity
Public education and healthcare investments pay off significantly for society. Medicaid helps children achieve better health outcomes, academic results, and higher employment rates as adults. Early childhood education leads to better jobs and higher earnings later in life. The government gets $1.78 back for every dollar spent on children’s health through fewer hospital visits and more tax revenue.
Creating a system that reflects the people’s will
Most Americans (53%) feel the government doesn’t represent their views. The numbers tell an interesting story – 71% believe laws should reflect what most Americans want, but only 48% think lawmakers pay attention to public opinion. A proportional representation system could give voters more options and push candidates to build consensus.
Americans’ declining faith in their democratic system shows a deep gap between ideals and reality. People’s trust in government has hit rock bottom while inequality keeps rising. This shift has changed the American Dream’s meaning from shared prosperity to personal wealth building. The dream started as a vision where everyone would lead “better and richer and fuller” lives. Now it belongs only to those lucky enough to be born into privilege.
US democracy faces challenges like never before. Most Americans believe their political system doesn’t represent them or provide basic services. The system leaves citizens feeling helpless against powerful interests due to minority rule, partisan deadlock, and poor public services. People’s wages haven’t kept up with rising costs, forcing millions to eat into savings or rack up debt just to maintain their lifestyle.
Paths exist to rejuvenate American democracy and bring back its promise. Strong voting rights and better representation could help fix the system. Public spending on education and healthcare could benefit society greatly. On top of that, a proportional representation system might better capture public opinion and push lawmakers toward finding common ground.
Americans must decide whether to fix these fundamental problems or stay on their current path. The American Dream’s original vision needs honest examination of its contradictions – it preaches equality while letting systemic inequality grow unchecked. Democracy must serve its people rather than special interests to close the gap between ideals and reality. The American Dream’s future doesn’t depend on blind faith but rather on citizens working together to build systems that truly deliver liberty and justice for all.