NEW YORK The worst recession in their lifetime has not (yet) led most Americans to lose faith in the U.S. as a "land of opportunity" or in their own ability to prosper. But they're less upbeat about the long-term outlook for today's kids, according to the latest Allstate/National Journal/Heartland Monitor survey.

At the most basic level, 87 percent of respondents to the poll (conducted last month by research firm FD) agreed that "America is the 'land of opportunity,'" vs. 11 percent disagreeing. (The rest were unsure or declined to respond.) On a more personal level, 54 percent think they have "more opportunity to get ahead" than their parents did at the same age. Eighteen percent said they have "less opportunity" than their parents did at the same life stage, and 26 percent said they have "about the same amount." Looking ahead to the next five years, 24 percent are "very confident" and 43 percent "somewhat confident" that they'll "be able to get ahead financially."

The poll found a majority of respondents rejecting the notion that they're at the mercy of economic forces beyond their personal control. One question asked them to say which plays "a bigger role in determining whether or not you have more opportunity to get ahead, your own skills and talents or the state of the economy?" Fifty-four percent pointed to their own skills and talents, vs. 41 percent saying the state of the economy matters more.

It's not as though respondents to the survey were indiscriminately cheery. Asked to think ahead "to when today's children are your age," 36 percent predicted those kids would have "less opportunity than you to get ahead," vs. 31 percent believing today's children will have "more opportunity than you to get ahead." (Twenty-nine percent think the kids will have "about the same amount of opportunity.")

Respondents were split almost down the middle on the question of whether "children from all income groups growing up today have adequate opportunities to be successful." Forty-eight percent said yes, and 50 percent said no. Fifty-three percent agreed that "Anyone who works hard still has a fair chance to succeed and live a comfortable life in today's America," narrowly outnumbering the 43 percent who said they instead believe that "Today's economy mostly rewards the rich and it's difficult for average people to get ahead." A large majority of respondents subscribed to the view that changes in the economy during the past quarter-century have created more "instability and risk" for people like themselves, with 64 percent holding this view.

Respondents were surprisingly mixed in their opinions of the role education might or might not play in helping a person to get ahead these days. By a slim 54 percent to 44 percent majority, they agreed that "young people today need a four-year college education in order to be successful." But when asked to choose between two contrasting views of a college education, 50 percent termed it "An economic burden that is often too expensive and requires taking on debt to pay for," exceeding the 40 percent who said it's "A ticket to the middle class."

Source: Nielsen Business Media

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