LONDON, June 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Only one in five Americans believe the US has lived up to its founding ideals of liberty and opportunity for all and fewer than a quarter think the American Dream is alive and achievable for people like them, according to new polling from Lord Ashcroft. Findings from the 10,000-sample survey, conducted to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, include:
- Just under half (48%) of Americans say they are very proud of the US, including 73% of Republicans and 34% of Democrats. Those aged 65+ (59%) were more than twice as likely to do so as 18-24s (26%).
- 21% agreed that America has mostly lived up to its founding ideals of liberty and opportunity for all, while a further 38% said it had made significant progress but still had work to do. Nearly four in ten said the US had fallen short of these ideals or that they were flawed from the beginning. 15% of African Americans said the US had lived up to its ideals, compared to 23% of white respondents.
- A clear majority (61%) said the US was different from any other country, but fewer than half (40%) said it was a force for good in the world. A further 43% said the country had once been a force for good, but no longer.
- Personal freedom and home ownership were considered the two most essential elements in living out the American Dream in the 21st century. However, only 23% agreed that the American Dream was alive and achievable for people like them. A further 39% said the American Dream still exists but is harder to achieve than it used to be. More than one in ten, including one in five 18-24s, said the American Dream was either outdated and irrelevant or never existed in the first place.
- Most Republicans and older Americans said the American Dream was about individual effort; younger voters and Democrats were more likely to think it required collective support systems and public investment to be achievable.
- Housing affordability was the biggest worry for the next generation‘s ability to pursue the American dream. This was followed by political instability and division and job security in an AI/automated economy.
- Nearly two thirds (64%) of Americans said they were optimistic for their own future, though fewer than half were optimistic for the US as a whole. Those aged 18-24 were less optimistic than older age groups, both for themselves and the country. African Americans were slightly more optimistic on both counts than white or Hispanic Americans.
Lord Ashcroft Polls surveyed 10,000 Americans between 28 April and 17 May 2026 and conducted focus groups in Albuquerque, NM, Kansas City, MO, and New York, NY.
The full report – Who Still Believes in the American Dream? The USA at 250 – is available here. Full data tables are available here at LordAshcroftPolls.com
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SOURCE Lord Ashcroft
