Study Shows American's Economic Optimism At Odds With Statistics

Americans are more optimistic about their chances of getting ahead than any another nation on earth, according to a new study from the Brookings Institute. The real problem isn’t optimism, it might be the recent statistics.

America's economic optimism: People rewarded for intelligence and skill

Americans believe they will be economically rewarded for individual effort, intelligence and their skills than other countries, playing into the notion of America as the land of opportunity.  Fully 69 percent of American’s agreed with the statement “people are rewarded for intelligence and skill,” while only 19 percent of Americans believe that coming from a wealthy family is essential or very...