One thing that both the left and the right like to talk about is the American dream, though each side has entirely different ideas on what that term even means.

For the left, the American dream is largely to be on the receiving end of the sort of largesse that only the richest country in the world can provide. That’s how you improve your station in life. 

To take advantage of that national generosity, the left has created an entire system built on entitlement and victimhood. Even non-citizens and criminals are entitled to “their fair share” of DEI wages. These are paid by corporations, major employers, or from the government piggy bank derived mostly from tax revenues paid by “millionaires and billionaires,” which, to a leftist, is anyone earning north of $75,000 per year, and that’s before benefits.

For the right, the American dream isn’t as quantifiable. It isn’t about how much money you make or how propped up by government you can be. Instead, it’s about freedom itself. It’s about protecting and possessing rights given to us by God, unimpeded by government, freeing us to make the life we want, mostly through hard work, smarts, luck, and our own nature. For one person, the American dream may be to open and run a diner; for another, it’s the chance to have a good job for 40 or so years until he retires, all the while being able to have one's own home, raise a family, live in a nice community, and in the end, just be happy without the long arm of government interfering.

That’s why, when people who do studies that assess the current state of the American dream, they so often miss the point.

In 2024, Pew Research conducted a survey of Americans to gauge the current state of the American dream. Remember, this was a presidential election year. Joe Biden was president, the borders were wide open, and the country was still coming off a multitude of government abuses tied to the global pandemic.

Pew defined the American dream as the notion “that anyone can achieve success in the United States through hard work and determination.” The pollster found that “about half of Americans (53%) say that dream is still possible.”

Pew reported that “Another 41% say the American dream was once possible for people to achieve – but is not anymore… And 6% say it was never possible.”

Older Americans were more likely to say the American dream is still alive, while younger Americans were more pessimistic. Roughly two-thirds of adults 65 and older said the American dream was still alive, compared to 42% of Americans under the age of 50 who still believe the American dream is possible.

“Roughly half of Americans in each racial and ethnic group say the American dream remains possible. And while relatively few Americans – just 6% overall – say that the American dream was never possible, Black Americans are about twice as likely as those in other groups to say this (11%),” said Pew.

As for the political divide, Pew found that “While 56% of Republicans and Republican leaners say the American dream is still possible to achieve, 50% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say the same.”

Well, that’s what Pew had to say. Let’s look at what another organization, which conducted its own analysis on the state of the American dream, found. A group called the Archbridge Institute, which self-identifies as “nonpartisan,” had its own findings in 2026, and from the outset, its definition of the American dream was more precise and reflective of how conservatives and most Americans would define it.

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On its website, the organization says, “Long before the term (American dream) was coined, generations of settlers and immigrants came to America seeking greater opportunity, freedom, and the chance to build better lives in pursuit of human flourishing.

At its core, this concept involves pursuing something meaningful in your life, setting goals, and taking action to pursue them. It is a dream of freedom and purpose. It is a dream that has been resilient throughout the challenging history of our country—through a war for independence, a civil war, civil rights movements, world wars, and pushing the geographical frontier, the innovation frontier, and the cultural frontier.”

The Institute rightly points out, “The cultural fabric of the United States is built on this American Dream.”

In its research, the Institute found that 67% of survey respondents felt they had achieved or were pursuing the American dream. Sixty-four percent of those surveyed believe that the American dream can unite Americans. An impressive 71% of those surveyed felt they had as many or more opportunities than their parents. An even more impressive 73% said they were proud to be American.

These findings are somewhat at odds with the results of a recent Gallup poll that posed the same question. My colleague David Manney reported on that poll and wrote, “Only 33% of U.S. adults now say they're ‘extremely proud’ to be American. Add those who are ‘very proud,’ and the number reaches only 53%."

When it comes to surveys and polls, usually it all comes down to the type of people you survey, the way you posed the question, and what your intent was behind the survey. Since Gallup tends to serve the interests of the left more often than not, take its results with a grain of salt. As for the Archbridge Institute, on review of its website and activities, it leans to the right of Gallup.

So, where does that leave us? Is the American dream alive or dead? And what the heck is the American dream anyway?

Staying true to those other definitions, I’d frame it this way. Do you have the opportunities to succeed in career and in life so that the quality of your life is all that you want? After all, it’s your dream, not mine. That definition can lead to all sorts of subjective and hard-to-measure variables, which is precisely my point. Your dream life may be something someone else would hate. Happiness comes in all shapes and sizes.

Another factor when looking at survey results like this is the understanding that when surveyed, people who like to complain are more likely to respond to surveyors.

I think a better way to assess this is simply by getting outside and spending time with people from all walks. What’s the mood? What’s the vibe? What are people saying amongst themselves? How are they spending their money and time? How are they managing their careers, their families, and their quality-of-life decisions?

I’ll tell you what I see. Americans have never had it better, despite the divisiveness that the left and some on the other side of the aisle try to foment. We have it so good that the country’s critics have had to try to make a national crisis out of a reflecting pool refurbishment project in Washington, D.C. The American dream is so alive that the unemployment rate is down to 4.2%. Our stores are stocked to the rafters with everything and anything we want, and we don’t even need to go there. We have Amazon and any number of delivery services to bring our food and goods right to our door.

Despite the controversies surrounding the current tensions with Iran, under President Donald Trump, America is not engaged in a boots-on-the-ground war. You can’t measure something that’s not happening, so you can’t fully appreciate just how many young men and women who are with us this July Fourth would not otherwise be here if we were involved in a full-fledged war.

There is much to be thankful for on this 250th anniversary of America. The American dream is America itself. There is no other freer, more prosperous nation in the world. This is the land of opportunity, regardless of how you define "opportunity." The American dream is alive and well, and something worth celebrating on this so very special occasion. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

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