With the U.S. economy still slow and the wealth gap as large as it has ever been in the U.S., more and more Americans seem to be growing dissatisfied with the way wealth is spread throughout the country.
A new Gallup poll today shows that a full two-thirds (67%) of U.S. adults are either “somewhat dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with the way income and wealth are distributed in the U.S.
Though this percentage varies by party affiliation, even a majority of Republicans (54%) are still dissatisfied with wealth distribution in the U.S. Democrats are very dissatisfied with the state of wealth distribution, with three-quarters (75%) telling Gallup they are somewhat or very dissatisfied. Independents fall in-between the parties, but are much closer to the opinion of Democrats with 70% dissatisfied with current wealth distribution.
Though the gap between the richest and poorest Americans has been wide for quite some time, there are now signs that the country’s belief in the fairness of the American landscape is faltering. Gallup has found that only 54% of U.S. adults are now satisfied with the opportunities Americans have to get ahead through hard work. This represents a significant shift from 2001 when over three-fourths (76%) of Americans still saw plenty of opportunity for those willing to work hard. That percentage began dropping fast after 2008, when over two-thirds of Americans (68%) still held that belief.