29 Posts About America That Make It Seem Like One Of The Worst Countries To Live In

The American Dream... It's supposed to be the ethos of the United States. The dreamy idea that the country is a land of opportunity that allows the possibility of upward mobility, freedom, and equality for people of all classes who work hard and have the will to succeed.

But judging by some of the posts here, the USA still has a long way to go until the big dream is achieved. Many Americans are losing hope. A poll conducted by Pew Research Center found that only about half of Americans (53%) say that dream is still possible.

41% of those polled believe the American dream was once possible for people to achieve – but is not anymore. 6% say it was never possible. 8,709 U.S. adults took part in the survey.

"Americans ages 50 and older are more likely than younger adults to say the American dream is still possible," reveals the Pew Research site, adding that about two-thirds of adults ages 65 and older agree, as do 61% of those aged 50 to 64.

Not too surprisingly, higher-income Americans are also more likely than others to say the American dream is still achievable.

According to Investopedia, the American Dream costs about $5.3 million over a family’s lifetime. The figure is based on the typical cost of a wedding, buying a home, raising two kids and sending them to college. And it doesn't end there. There's also retirement to factor in, as well as other American milestones. 

"Achieving the American Dream generally requires both parents to work and at least one to have a college degree," notes the site, adding that households with only a single income are likely to be at least $1.2 million shy of living the American Dream.

"Families with two employed high school graduates are likely to be about $23,000 short," reveal the financial experts.

Investopedia's analysis reveals that home ownership is the heaviest lift on the way to achieving the America Dream. The report notes that buying and financing a median-priced home costs about $1.3 million.

"That amounts to about 48% of lifetime earnings for a family relying on one high school graduate and 14% for a household where both partners have master’s degrees," explains the site.

According to Investopedia, retiring and maintaining two vehicles can also get in the way of achieving the American Dream, with each costing about $1.2 million.

"Each represents about 46% of lifetime earnings for a family with one high school graduate and 13% for a family in which both adults have master’s degrees," say the analysts.

Meanwhile, many American families are struggling to afford their monthly groceries.

When Talker Research asked Americans what's been grinding their gears in 2024, one in two cited the cost of food and essentials as the biggest annoyance. The next biggest irritation was politicians, with 41% of the 2,000 people polled saying they're fed up with the recent political scene.

"Talker Research asked respondents to consider a selected list of irritations and then identify which topics they themselves had found irritating in the past 90 days," explains the site.

Someone else’s driving/driving habits emerged as the third biggest annoyance, with crowds and weather also making the top five list. 19% of Americans polled said poor customer service is getting on their nerves, while 17% had had it with social media trends. Tipping culture followed closely behind, as did certain music and the TV volume being too loud.

"TV volumes being too loud had been a gripe for 15% of those polled, while a similar number had cause for a good grumble over AI (14%), the cost of concert tickets and tech billionaires (12%)," reveals Talker Research's site. "Reality TV was also on the list of most common recent irritations (14%), while annoyances over parking hit 10% of respondents."

Despite being a seemingly irritated nation, Americans try to look on the bright side. One in five respondents polled revealed that their mood has generally gotten much more positive the older they get, while 26% said they’ve been somewhat more positive overall as time goes by.

"Just 5% rated themselves as getting much more negative with age, though 19% felt that negativity increased the older they got," notes the site.

But perhaps it's less to do with age and more to do with an unachievable American Dream? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.