Americans Lose Faith That Hard Work Leads to Economic Gains, WSJ-NORC Poll Finds

Hard work, luck, and “value”

• Many argue hard work alone has never guaranteed economic gains; what matters is doing work that is economically valued and being positioned to capture some of that value.
• Examples: roofers, EMTs, teachers, farm workers work harder and provide more social value than many office workers, but earn far less.
• Several point to luck, background, timing, and access to capital as major determinants of outcomes; “hard work” mostly improves odds in a rigged lottery.

Housing, inflation, and living standards

• Housing costs are repeatedly described as the “knife in the side” of the economy: even decent wages are consumed by rent/mortgages.
• Anecdotes compare mid‑20th‑century workers buying homes on modest incomes vs today’s six‑figure professionals struggling to afford small condos in safe areas.
• Inflation debates split: some blame stimulus and money printing, others emphasize supply shocks, corporate pricing, and that real wage gains at the bottom were brief and politically unpopular.

Education, STEM, and the broken career ladder

• Commenters see highly credentialed Gen Zs (APs, good universities, STEM degrees) failing to get jobs, even begging for unpaid “experience.”
• Older workers recall eras when entry‑level tech training was employer‑funded; now firms prefer offshore labor, visas, or pre‑trained candidates.
• Advice to “be a problem‑solver for hire” is criticized as out‑of‑touch because that path is now saturated too; credentials no longer guarantee stability.

Inequality, capital, and taxation

• Broad sense that wealth and income have shifted from labor to capital: real estate, equities, financial engineering, and “rent seeking” dominate gains.
• Strong criticism of lower tax rates and loopholes for capital gains and ultra‑wealthy vs W‑2 labor; others counter that risk and inflation justify differential treatment.
• Some call for extreme measures: wealth caps, forced “retirement” of billionaires from power, higher top tax rates, or even criminal liability for “social murder” by executives.

Poll, mood, and legitimacy of the “American Dream”

• Several dig into the poll PDF and note that attitudes about the American Dream haven’t moved much in three years, but unemployment definition and sample (many non‑workers living in owned homes) complicate interpretation.
• Despite methodological quibbles, many describe a visible “vibe”: wealth inequality is palpable, middle‑class security has eroded, and belief that “if you work hard you’ll get ahead” is no longer credible for large parts of the population.