The American Dream Project

The American Dream -- Foundation for a New Progressive Majority

On June 1, 2009, Change to Win released the results of the seventh in its ongoing series of American Dream Surveys, showing how strong majorities of working Americans support the American Dream Agenda as the foundation for a new progressive majority.

Survey topline (PDF)
Memorandum on survey findings by Celinda Lake (PDF)
Presentation on survey findings by Lake Research Partners (PPT)

The American Dream and the 2008 Election

On November 6, 2008, Change to Win released the results of its sixth American Dream Survey, focusing on how working people helped elect Barack Obama President and what those workers expect from the Obama Administration.

Materials available for download:

The American Dream Survey, August 2008

On August 25, 2008, at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, Change to Win released the findings of its latest American Dream Survey. The survey found that levels of economic anxiety among working Americans had increased even further -- and that workers would be supportive of efforts by Barack Obama to restore the American Dream.

Press release: America's Workers Ready to Vote for Obama
Executive summary of survey findings
Complete survey topline
Presentation by Celinda Lake on the survey findings
Presentation by Lawrence Mishel, President of the Economic Policy Institute, on the long-term trends that have driven workers' economic insecurity

(Other than press release, all documents above provided in Adobe PDF format)

Barack Obama: The American Dream Candidate

On March 3, 2008, Change to Win released the fourth in our ongoing series of American Dream Surveys. This survey shows that while voters are profoundly worried about the economy and the state of the American Dream, they are also enthusiastic and hopeful about the possibility of real change in the 2008 election.

Voters are more worried than ever that the American Dream is slipping away, especially in the light of the current administration's policies. With this threat to the American Dream at the forefront of voters' concerns, Barack Obama is leading as the "American Dream Candidate" who has the best chance to restore it.

2008 Swing Voters and the American Dream

On December 11, 2007, Change to Win released a new analysis examining how anxiety over the loss of the American Dream for future generations is shaping the views and potential voting behaviors of 2008 swing voters.

Executive summary by Celinda Lake (PDF)
Topline data (PDF)
Comparison of 2007 survey data with 1980 (PDF)
Press release

American Dream Survey III: Economic Anxiety and the 2008 Elections

On September 25, 2007, Change to Win released the third of our ongoing American Dream Survey series. The poll, conducted by Lake Research Partners, reveals a new paradigm among the American electorate. In a significant shift from the politics of the last two decades, voters see a strong role for unions and believe that workers joining together is an effective way to keep the American Dream alive.

"Economic Anxiety and the American Dream": Brookings Institution Panel, July 13, 2007

On July 13, 2007, Change to Win Executive Director Greg Tarpinian and Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners participated in a panel discussion sponsored by the Brookings Institution entitled Economic Anxiety and the American Dream, in which they discussed the findings of the Working American Dream Survey and the American Dream Agenda.

Download Celinda Lake's presentation from this event (PDF)

The Working American Dream Agenda 2007

On April 4, 2007, Change to Win revealed the results of "The Working American Dream Agenda", a follow-up survey to the 2006 American Dream Survey. Among other findings, the new survey found that an overwhelming majority of American working people -- nearly 70 percent -- now say that their number one concern is simply basic security, rather than opportunity.