More Than Ever Are Optimistic About Economic Opportunity in America
With the Dow closing at new highs this week and unemployment down, Americans are more confident than they have been in years that it’s possible for just about anyone to find a job - and even get rich - in America.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 63% of American Adults think it’s possible for anyone who really wants to work to find a job in this country. That’s up from the previous high of 61% in October 2014 and is the highest level of optimism in more than eight years of surveying. Prior to this survey, this number generally remained in the mid-40s to mid-50s. Just 26% disagree and say it’s not possible for anyone who wants to work to find a job, a new low. Eleven percent (11%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on July 30-31, 2017 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.
We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.
Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.
To learn more about our methodology, click here.