THE AMRICAN DREAM

ET CETERA

THE 60 MINUTES/VANITY FAIR POLL

There’s nothing dreamlike about how Americans perceive the American Dream. Nothing surreal, or vague, or involving harried white rabbits in waistcoats. The American Dream, we seem to feel, is a simple, connect-the-dots matter; it makes perfect sense.

We have nothing against successful careers or wealth or fame, but far more of us believe that the American Dream is about giving our kids a better life. And two-thirds of us think that our lives arc better than our parents’, which means the system works. (Incidentally, more of those polled said that the American Dream is best embodied by Steve Jobs—even more than chose Kim Kardashian.

There’s no mystery about how to achieve this American Dream: through education. (So say 47 percent, as opposed to the 9 percent who feel “being bom wealthy” is the smart thing to do.) Nor is there anything really mysterious about the political divide in how we view those traditional aspirants to the American Dream, immigrants: 45 percent of Democrats say immigrants mostly help the United States; 53 percent of Republicans say they mostly hurt it. Finally, for all the griping, we lean toward the view that the American Dream is more robust right now than at any time in the past.

vf.com See the complete POLL RESULTS. GotoVF.COM/ MAY20I5.

This poll was conducted on behalf of CBS News by Social Science Research Solutions of Media, Pennsylvania, among a random sample of1,002 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone February 6-10, 2015. Some hw-percentage answer choices have been omitted.

It's about giving your kids a better life—as if parenting didn't come with enough pressures already.

1 Where do you have the best chance at a successful life?

UNITED STATES

84%

11%

2 How would you describe the American Dream today?

GIVING YOUR KIDS A BETTER LIEE /44%

HAVING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS/UREER /22%

DOING BETTER THAN YOUR PARENTS/13%

DWNING A HOME/10%

BECOMEING WEALTHY OVERNIGHT /5%

BECOMEING FAMOUS /2%

3 Which is most important in achieving the American Dream?

BEING WHITE /13%

HAVING HEALTH INSURANCE /6%

SPEAKING ENGLISH /7%

BEING BORN WEALTHY /9%

BEING AN AMERICAN CITIZEN /22%

A COLLEGE EDUCATION /47%

4 Would your first American ancestors be proud of you?

20%

NO

YES

76%

5 Which of these people best embodies the American Dream?

STEVE JOBS /24%

OPHAH WINFHEY /20%

SAM WMTDN /18%

ROSA PARKS /15%

RUTH BAUER GINSBURG /7%

MIEHAELJDHDAN /5%

KIM KARDASHIAN /1%

6 Do immigrants help or hurt the U.$.?

21%

53%

30%

20%

20%

45%

HURT

HELP

NO EFFECT

7 How would you have handled the Great Depression?

BETTER THAN MOST/31%

WORSE THAN MOST / 7%

THE SAME /60%

DON'T KNOW /2%

8 Which year did the American Dream come closest to its peak?

1%

1491

14%

1945

3%

1865

30%

1965

6%

1776

39%

TODAY

9 Who has had a better life?

YOU /66%

YOUR PARENTS /19%

THE SAME /11%

10 Which part of the Bill of Rights would you get rid of first?

HIBHT TO BEAR ARMS /37%

TRIAL BY JURY /14%

FREEDOM OF SPEECH/10%

FREEDOM OF RELIGION /9%

NONE OF THESE /28%