Pew Research: Only 20% of U.S. Latinos feel they achieved the American Dream

A Pew Research Center survey reveals that only 20% of Latinos in the United States believe they have achieved the ‘American Dream’. While 18% feel the dream is out of reach, 27% believe the concept does not exist.

The data shows a divide between immigrant populations and those born in the U.S. Immigrants express higher economic optimism compared to U.S.-born Latinos. Specifically, 48% of respondents believe the American Dream is more difficult to achieve now than it was for their parents, a sentiment most strongly felt by second and third-generation Latinos.

Despite this pessimism regarding the traditional concept of the American Dream, most respondents identified hard work, motivation, and access to opportunity—rather than luck—as the keys to success. Additionally, 57% of Latinos expressed optimism regarding intergenerational progress in their standard of living.