The State of the American Dream

Episode 1

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Projects: Financial Security and Mobility
The State of the American Dream

The Pew Charitable Trusts’ podcast brings you the story behind the data and nonpartisan analysis on the issues that matter to you.

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In this episode

In this inaugural episode, host Dan LeDuc interviews Erin Currier, director of Pew’s financial security and mobility project, on the state of the American Dream and the financial well-being of American families. The conversation focuses on “data point 92”—the percentage of American families that are seeking financial security rather than economic mobility. In other words, given the choice, most families are happy to make ends meet and pay their bills rather than to move up the economic ladder. Currier reflects on the financial hardships families are facing today and what that says about the American Dream. 

Related Pew research

Americans’ Financial Security: Perception and reality

The Precarious State of Family Balance Sheets

Household Expenditures and Income

The Role of Emergency Savings in Family Financial Security

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Economic Mobility
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Financial Security and Mobility
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United States

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