Can Latinos Achieve the American Dream?

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1 in 5 Latinos say that they have achieved the American dream and 33% say they are on their way to achieving it.  

However, 18% say the American dream is out of reach for them and 27% say it doesn’t exist at all, according to a recent analysis by Pew Research Center that focuses on U.S. Latinos’ views of the American dream and their outlook on economic mobility. 

Let’s look deeper into how attainable the American dream is for Latinos in the U.S. 

What is the American Dream?  

The American dream can be defined by many factors, including economic mobility, homeownership, and political freedoms.  

“About six-in-ten Hispanics tie the American dream to financial or economic factors,” according to previous surveys from the Pew Research Center.  

However, Latinos most often link the American dream to financial or economic factors, self-fulfillment or collective well-being.  

Additionally, 4 in 10 Latinos describe the American dream as living a good life for themselves, their family or their community.  

Smaller shares of Latino adults describe the American dream in other ways including, such as freedom (18%), success through hard work (13%) and fair treatment (11%).  

The American Dream by the Numbers  

When it comes to their assessment of the American dream, 57% of Latinos’ standard of living is better than their parents’.  

53% also say that their children’s standard of living will be better than their own.  

“Notably, Latino immigrants have more positive views than their U.S.-born counterparts about their and their children’s standards of living,” Pew Research states.  

While 28% say they have achieved the American dream, 29% say they are on their way to achieving it.  

Another 19% say the American dream is out of reach for them, and 23% say it does not exist. 

What Does Achieving the American Dream Take? 

A large majority of Latinos that believe the American dream exists say that hard work and access to the right opportunities are major factors in achieving it. 

85% of the Latinos who believe they’ve achieved the American dream or are on their way each say hard work and motivation is a major factor for achieving it.  

This is higher than the share among the 69% of Latinos who believe the American dream is out of reach.  

“What people see as important to achieving the American dream varies by how they assess their own progress toward achieving it,” according to the Pew Research Center.  

Improve Health in Your Community 

Standard of living can also impact overall health.  

But what about understanding the health of your community? 

Find out by downloading a Salud America! Health Report Card for your town! 

Enter your county name and get auto-generated local data with interactive maps and comparative gauges on several health indicators. This can help you visualize and explore local issues in education, housing, transportation, food, health, and more. 

See how your county stacks up compared to the rest of your state and nation. 

Then email the Report Card to local leaders to raise awareness, include the data in a presentation or grant proposal, or share it on social media to drive healthy change in your community! 

GET YOUR HEALTH REPORT CARD!