65 Percent of Workers Do Not Believe in the Leadership Capabilities of the U.S. Government, According to a New CareerBuilder Study

- Nearly half of workers are worried about the future of the United States

- Workers have the least faith in the leadership of the Congress, followed by the Supreme Court and President

- While 47 percent of workers said they felt they were living the American Dream, 60 percent do not think everyone has an equal shot at achieving it

- Cost of education and poverty cycle top the list of factors keeping people from achieving the American Dream

News provided by

CareerBuilder

Jan 29, 2018, 02:15 ET

CHICAGO and ATLANTA, Jan. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ahead of the State of the Union, workers are expressing concerns with the leadership of the United States and the future of the American Dream. According to CareerBuilder's latest survey, almost two-thirds of workers (65 percent) do not believe in the leadership capabilities of the U.S. government officials, and roughly half of workers (47 percent) are worried about the future of the United States.

Lack of faith exists across all levels of government. Seventy-six percent of workers do not believe in the leadership capabilities of the executive branch (President and cabinet), 79 percent do not believe in the judicial branch (Supreme Court) and 87 percent do not believe in the legislative branch (Senate and the House of Representatives).

This survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll from November 28 and December 20, 2017 and included a representative sample of 809 full-time workers across industries and company sizes in the U.S. private sector.

Does the American Dream still exist?
The American Dream, the concept that the government should protect each person's opportunity to pursue their own idea of happiness, has long been touted as one of the greatest ideals of the United States. Today, less than half (47 percent) of workers feel they are living the American Dream. Women are less likely than men to say they are living the American Dream (41 percent vs. 54 percent, respectively).

What does the American Dream mean to workers? Answers included:

Making enough money for me and my family to live comfortably (85 percent)
Being able to help others (48 percent)
Getting a great education and providing that opportunity for my family (35 percent)
Making an impact on my community (30 percent)
Leaving a legacy (22 percent)
Seeing my ideas become a reality in business (17 percent)
Becoming a millionaire (10 percent)

Sixty percent of workers do not think everyone has an equal shot of living the American Dream. When asked what are the top factors that are keeping people from achieving the American Dream, workers responded with:

Cost of education (58 percent)
Cycles of poverty (53 percent)
Wage gaps (52 percent)
Inequality (among women, minorities, etc.) (51 percent)
Access to education (41 percent)
Lack of belief that things can be better (34 percent)

Research Method
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by The Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder among 809 employees ages 18 and over (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between November 28 and December 20, 2017. With a pure probability sample of 809, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/-3.45 percentage points.

About CareerBuilder^®CareerBuilder is a global, end-to-end human capital solutions company focused on helping employers find, hire and manage great talent. Combining advertising, software and services, CareerBuilder leads the industry in recruiting solutions, employment screening and human capital management. CareerBuilder is majority-owned by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC and operates in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.

About The Harris Poll:
The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys in the U.S. tracking public opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963 that is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that delivers social intelligence for transformational times. We work with clients in three primary areas; building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and advisory to help leaders make the best decisions possible. To learn more, please visit www.harrisinsights.com.

Media Contact
Rachel Nauen
773-353-3803
[email protected]

SOURCE CareerBuilder