Critical Analysis

1. According to the data from the chart above, if an American was born in 1940 what was the chance they would make more money than their parents?

2. By 1980, what was the chance of someone born that year making more money than their parents?

3. What is the big story the data from the chart above tells?

4. Why do you think the chance of earning more than your parents is decreasing?

5. If you had to extrapolate from this data, what would you say would be the percent chance that someone born in 1990 would make more money than their parents? In 2000? In 2010?

6. Based on the trend from the chart above and your year of birth, approximately what is the percent chance that you will be wealthier than your parents?

7. The phrase “American dream” was invented during the Great Depression. It comes from a popular 1931 book by the historian James Truslow Adams, who defined it as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone.” Based on this chart and your knowledge of US history and politics, explain whether you think the American dream is dead:

8. How much do you think the death of the American dream impacted the 2020 presidential election and American politics in general?

9. Did Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, "Make America Great again," really mean: bring back the American dream, and do you think Biden’s $1.2 Trillion infrastructure plan and Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 will help bring back the American dream?

10. According to the map below*, what part of the nation has the least amount of economic mobility?

Learning Extension

Listen to the Freakonomics Radio podcast episode: Is the American Dream Really Dead? Read the entire Upshot article about the American Dream. Explore the data about upward mobility at Opportunity Insights.

Action Extension

It's survey time. Ask ten people born around 2000 if they think they will be richer than their parents. Crunch your data and share the information in class or online.

Visual Extension*