Americans Say Middle-Class Opportunities Are Shrinking
A majority of Americans think the middle class is losing economic ground, with fewer chances to buy a home, raise a family, or move ahead financially, according to a new CBS News poll released Thursday.
The survey shows that 53% of respondents believe opportunities for the middle class are declining, while 63% say economic opportunities for wealthy Americans are on the rise.
Views on opportunity also vary by age. The poll found that 21% of respondents think opportunities are increasing for young people, compared with 15% who say the same about older Americans.
Large majorities of Americans say achieving key life milestones is more difficult now than it was for previous generations, especially for younger people. When comparing today to earlier generations, 83% said it is harder to buy a home, 77% said it is harder to raise a family, and 69% said it is harder to find a good job.
Concerns about inequality are widespread as well. Overall, 71% of respondents said the income gap between the richest Americans and the middle class is growing.
Despite those concerns, just over half of respondents — 51% — described their own financial situation as fairly or very good, while 41% said their finances are fairly or very bad.
The CBS News/YouGov poll surveyed 2,425 U.S. adults from Feb. 3 through Feb. 5 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.
