Eye-Opening Survey Results Reveal Deep Division Between Presidential Campaign Discourse & Americans' View of American Dream

CINCINNATI, Jan. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the heels of the Iowa Caucuses, Xavier University's Center for the Study of the American Dream debunks 5 Myths about the American Dream in the Sunday Washington Post. Michael Ford, the Center's Founding Director, cites its current research revealing a deep schism between the Presidential campaign's relevance to the American Dream, Americans' distrust in government and elected officials, along with the declining importance of home ownership to an individual's definition of the American Dream, and the role of immigration in defining the American Dream.

"We have been observing distrust, alienation and disappointment among Americans when it comes to our political discourse and Americans' relationship with our political leaders," said Michael Ford. "So it comes as no surprise that our latest figures show that two-thirds of us see no relevance in the Presidential campaign to our American Dream. Even more disheartening, over 80 percent of Americans surveyed believe that elected officials have lost sight of the American Dream."

On Sunday, January 8, Ford debunks 5 Myths about the American Dream in the Washington Post. The five myths he examines are:

• The American Dream is about getting rich: In a national survey of more than 1,300 adults, only 6 percent of Americans ranked "wealth" as their first or second definition of the American Dream.
• Homeownership is the American Dream: 7 percent of Americans ranked home ownership as their first or second definition of the American Dream, and 1 in 4 mortgage owners would be willing to walk away from their mortgage obligations.
• The American Dream is American: Even in tough economic times, 60 percent of Americans believe that immigration is important for keeping the American Dream alive.
• China threatens the American Dream: The Chinese economy is actually one-third the size with a population four times larger. Yet the amount of U.S. debt owned by foreign countries, including China, has increased to almost half, up from 5 percent in 1970.
• Economic decline/political gridlock are killing the American Dream: Over 80 percent of Americans have less trust in politics in general than they did a decade ago. Contrast it with the fact that Gallup polling in the 1970s showed that 70 percent of Americans "had trust and confidence that the American government could handle its domestic problems."

"Between the Iowa Caucuses earlier this week and the New Hampshire Primary next week, it's time for our presidential candidates to stop the rhetoric and take stock of what the American people are saying about the state of our country and their confidence in our leaders," said Ford. "What strikes me is that through our research, we always find that despite the lack of confidence in our government and institutions, the American people remain confident in themselves, against all the odds. In fact, 63 percent said they are confident they will attain their American Dream."

For more information, log onto Xavier University's Center for the Study of the American Dream site. Follow the Center on Twitter for up-to-date information and new survey data each month: @XUAmericanDream and "Like" the Center's Facebook page. To schedule an interview with Michael Ford, please contact Monica Sakala at 202-361-9225.

Xavier University (www.xavier.edu) is a private university located in Cincinnati, Ohio, providing a liberal arts education in the Jesuit Catholic tradition. Founded in 1831, the university is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation. U.S. News & World Report ranks it No. 4 among master's-level universities in the Midwest, and The Princeton Review names it as one of the "Best 376 Colleges in America."

SOURCE Xavier University

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