Carol Graham is the Leo Pasvolsky Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and College Park Professor at the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy. Her books include The Pursuit of Happiness: An Economy of Well-Being and Happiness around the World: The Paradox of Happy Peasants and Miserable Millionaires.

• List of Illustrations ix List of Tables xi Preface xiii 1 Introduction: Happiness for All: Living the Dream? 1 2 What Happened to Horatio Alger? U.S. Trends in Inequality and Opportunity in Comparative Perspective 22 3 Who Believes in the American Dream? Public Attitudes about Mobility in the United States and Beyond 42 4 The High Costs of Being Poor in the Land of the Dream: Stress, Insecurity, and Lack of Hope 76 5 Well-Being, Aspirations, and Outcomes: What Do We Know? 120 6 Can We Save the Dream? 136 Appendix 151 References 173 Index 187

"A persuasive and well-supported study. Highly recommended."--Karen Shook, Times Higher Education "Graham is one of the few scholars who have traced the effects of a dramatic increase in inequality between the rich and poor in America."--Ana Swanson, WashingtonPost.com's Wonkblog "Graham pushes the wellbeing date into a more fruitful area, to assess how the experience of inequality shapes the views Americans hold about the future and the value of hard work... She pierces the myth that inequality is accepted in the US because it is accompanied by so many success stories."--Geoff Dyer, Financial Times

Carol Graham is the Leo Pasvolsky Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and College Park Professor at the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy. Her books include The Pursuit of Happiness: An Economy of Well-Being and Happiness around the World: The Paradox of Happy Peasants and Miserable Millionaires.

• List of Illustrations ix List of Tables xi Preface xiii 1 Introduction: Happiness for All: Living the Dream? 1 2 What Happened to Horatio Alger? U.S. Trends in Inequality and Opportunity in Comparative Perspective 22 3 Who Believes in the American Dream? Public Attitudes about Mobility in the United States and Beyond 42 4 The High Costs of Being Poor in the Land of the Dream: Stress, Insecurity, and Lack of Hope 76 5 Well-Being, Aspirations, and Outcomes: What Do We Know? 120 6 Can We Save the Dream? 136 Appendix 151 References 173 Index 187

"A persuasive and well-supported study. Highly recommended."--Karen Shook, Times Higher Education "Graham is one of the few scholars who have traced the effects of a dramatic increase in inequality between the rich and poor in America."--Ana Swanson, WashingtonPost.com's Wonkblog "Graham pushes the wellbeing date into a more fruitful area, to assess how the experience of inequality shapes the views Americans hold about the future and the value of hard work... She pierces the myth that inequality is accepted in the US because it is accompanied by so many success stories."--Geoff Dyer, Financial Times

Carol Graham is the Leo Pasvolsky Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and College Park Professor at the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy. Her books include The Pursuit of Happiness: An Economy of Well-Being and Happiness around the World: The Paradox of Happy Peasants and Miserable Millionaires.

• List of Illustrations ix List of Tables xi Preface xiii 1 Introduction: Happiness for All: Living the Dream? 1 2 What Happened to Horatio Alger? U.S. Trends in Inequality and Opportunity in Comparative Perspective 22 3 Who Believes in the American Dream? Public Attitudes about Mobility in the United States and Beyond 42 4 The High Costs of Being Poor in the Land of the Dream: Stress, Insecurity, and Lack of Hope 76 5 Well-Being, Aspirations, and Outcomes: What Do We Know? 120 6 Can We Save the Dream? 136 Appendix 151 References 173 Index 187

"A persuasive and well-supported study. Highly recommended."--Karen Shook, Times Higher Education "Graham is one of the few scholars who have traced the effects of a dramatic increase in inequality between the rich and poor in America."--Ana Swanson, WashingtonPost.com's Wonkblog "Graham pushes the wellbeing date into a more fruitful area, to assess how the experience of inequality shapes the views Americans hold about the future and the value of hard work... She pierces the myth that inequality is accepted in the US because it is accompanied by so many success stories."--Geoff Dyer, Financial Times