What Americans Want Prioritized for the Next 50 Years

What should the country focus on over the next 50 years to ensure that future generations can achieve the American Dream?
% Mentioning

Bar chart showing what Americans think the U.S. should prioritize over the next 50 years to help future generations achieve the American Dream, by political party. Government reform and systems change is the top priority across groups (28% of Republicans, 28% of independents, 27% of Democrats). Democrats are more likely to prioritize equality and rights (28% vs. 12% of Republicans), while Republicans place greater emphasis on education and learning (24% vs. 13%) and faith and religion (6% vs. 1%). Cost-of-living and basic needs ranks higher among Democrats (16%) than Republicans (9%). Technology and AI concerns are cited by just 1% across groups.
Themes are based on topic modeling of open-ended responses. Numbers may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

Jan. 7-March 4, 2026
MCAAD-Gallup American Dream Study
Get the data Download image
Gallup interactive