What does the American dream mean to you? A house with a white picket fence? Lavish wealth? A life better than your parents?
Do you think you will be able to achieve the American dream in your lifetime? Is it equally available for everyone today? Was it ever?
In “What Has Happened to the American Dream?” Audra D. S. Burch interviewed people from across the country to find out about the health and viability of the much-debated concept. She begins the article:
The American dream — often idealized by the house and white picket fence — has been debated, pondered and relentlessly pursued by those who have lived in the United States for generations, as well as more recent immigrants.
It is a diffuse concept: Everybody has the opportunity to build a better, fuller life through hard work and determination. But its roots are in big, philosophical ideas: liberty, equality, democracy, justice.
Invoked by American presidents and voters alike, the American dream serves as a deeply personal yet universal framework for people to talk about their lives, their government, their economy and the values they cherish.
President Trump has nodded to the American dream time after time. In his first congressional speech in March, he described it as unstoppable — “surging bigger and better than ever before.”
But Americans are increasingly skeptical about the concept, both in whether the country can live up to its ideals or whether it can help its citizens fulfill their own personal goals. Today, just over half of the country still believes the dream is possible, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey. Another 41 percent said the dream was no longer achievable, and 6 percent said it was never possible.
To learn more about the state of the American dream in 2025, The Times interviewed people from across the country. Here are some of the responses:
Ed Morell, 72, Cleveland. A retiree
I think of the American dream as American freedom.David Hite, 63, Bay Area, Calif. A venture capitol firm co-founder
Something that’s important to me personally is autonomy and individuality. And so the pursuit of the American dream for me is the pursuit of one’s own individuality while respecting others.Jack Ragheb, 67, North Bethesda, Md. A biotech consultant
American dream? I think it’s still the Horatio Alger story, rising up from very little to succeed. Is it still possible today? Yeah, you see examples around you all the time. But I think the traditional avenues have narrowed.Olivia Correia, 20, Los Angeles. A college student
I think the American dream is a political tool. I think it’s a very useful one for convincing people within our country that we are an equitable and just and free nation. I wish that what we think of as the American dream could be realized. I don’t believe that it’s ever been realized by most people in this country. The question is: Who is the American dream for?Damian Conley, 51, Caledonia, Wis. A truck driver
I think I live it a little bit. I don’t have the white picket fence, but I got a house, married with two kids, so I’m kind of there. Being 51, that was kind of the traditional American dream that I grew up with. Buy your own home, get a white picket fence and have two kids, right? With President Trump, I think I will still be living the dream.Ayo Suber, 42, San Francisco. A web and creative engineer
I think the American dream is propaganda — that you can come here and be whatever you want. It’s accessible to certain people, for sure, but I don’t think that it’s evenly distributed. I think that’s always been the case for Black Americans, in particular, who are the descendants of enslaved people, because the country wasn’t set up for us to have that dream. I think we are going to see more instability and the American dream will be a lot less attainable for a lot more people.Polly Mann, 62, Cottonwood, Ariz. A retired banker
The United States is too big and too diverse for everyone to share the same dream. My version of the American dream is a country where democracy and voting rights for all is valued and seen as the core to our way of life.
Students, read the entire article and then tell us:
Do you believe in the American dream? Why or why not? What does the concept mean to you?
Do you think your family has achieved — or is on the way to achieving — the American dream? Why or why not? Do you think you will be able to achieve it when you are older? What leads you to believe this?
What is your reaction to the article and the various responses by Americans across the country? Do they change how you understand the American dream? Which of the responses resonate most with your own thinking and why?
The article notes that today, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, just over half of the country still believes the dream is possible; another 41 percent said the dream was no longer achievable; and 6 percent said it was never possible. Are you surprised by the findings? Do they make you more optimistic about this country and your future? Or perhaps less?
Is the American dream equally available to everyone? Or are there barriers to achieving it? If the latter, what are some of the obstacles?
How useful is the idea of an American dream? Is it still relevant in 2025? Do you believe it is, or has ever been, an ideal worth striving for? What are the drawbacks in continuing to use the concept even as its meaning evolves?
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
