America is a concept, not a country… 

In the Oxford Dictionary, the American Dream is defined as the traditional social ideals of the United States of America: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. 

The concept of the American Dream has unique and ongoing relevance to the US nation’s history. 

The individual dream for a freer, better, and more fulfilled life was present from the start. It evolved from the hearts and souls of millions of people who built the country. 

The Dream has lured tens of millions of people of all nations to America. In many ways, the study of America is a story of individuals of different creed, race, gender, ethnicity, and class attempting to pursue their dreams.

So, with this individual pursuit of a better life as the backdrop, researchers at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH, set out to quantify the ubiquitous concept of the American Dream. 

After 3 years of research and testing, they established the American Dream Composite IndexTM (ADCI) in July 2011. 

This instrument was built on public views and opinions about the American Dream. Created from a statistically validated survey instrument, the ADCI gauges the country’s current and collective sentiment regarding the extent to which people living in the United States are achieving their American Dream. 

The 139 question survey reaches at least 1,000 respondents each month from across the nation using the demographic spectrum of the most recent United States Census. 

Each survey question response is scored on an increasing sentiment scale from 0 to 100 and averaged across all responses. The outcome is a personal American Dream score that indicates how far along, as a percentage, individuals are in achieving their American Dream. The monthly volume is aggregated and scored on the same scale to create the ADCI.

The ADCI is comprised of 35 unique “dreams within the Dream,” with each being measured and scored separately. 

These dreams range from conventionally defined American Dream aspirations such as home ownership and the attainment of a good job to other concepts not often included in the American Dream discussion such as social status and safety in travel. 

Collectively these unique dreams are categorised into five unique American Dream sub-indices which represent an individual’s personal economy, well-being, trust in institutions, attitudes towards diversity, and physical environment. 

Though one sub-index is not held to be more important than another in survey development, the fact remains that the sub-indices are unevenly balanced. 

The overarching dream of a healthy personal well-being is the largest sub-index based on the number of unique dreams that it reflects, which is followed, in descending order, by personal economy, trust in institutions, diversity, and environment. 

Therefore, as we look for the largest driver of the Dream, we find it exists in one’s contentment, health, and prosperity in life. 

It is important to note that this hierarchy was not built deterministically. It is the direct result of the sentiment of people pursuing the American Dream.

Fundamentally, the American Dream is about hope – the hope that every individual of whatever status has the chance to be all that he or she can be.

One of the more interesting findings from the ADCI is that Americans consistently rate attitudes towards diversity higher than all other sub-indices. 

As such, assimilation of differences with others and attitudes towards diversity is the area where Americans are furthest along in their Dream quest. 

Respondents also exhibited very positive sentiment regarding their personal well-being. 

Unfortunately, the dreams of having a strong personal economy and a society where one can trust institutions lag significantly behind. They are currently the largest American Dream inhibitors for people living in the United States. 

Within these broad segments, respondents have indicated that they struggle the most with financial security, trust in government, and trust in business. 

Improvement in these three domains will most quickly and effectively improve the quality of life of people living in America and better enable the pursuit of the American Dream by everyone.

As of January 2014, the ADCI stands at 65.17. This means that, as a nation, we are 65.17% of the way to fully achieving the American Dream. 

There is both good news and bad news in this reading. 

To begin, the average ADCI score from 2011 to the present has increased each year. Thus, the overall quality of life of people in America is steadily improving. 

Moreover, their personal economies have improved in near lockstep with the overall quality of life during this time and serve as a key driver of the ADCI increase. Unfortunately, the other overarching sub-indices are not behaving in the same manner. 

The trust Americans have in institutions has regressed over the last year and a half, largely driven by the lack of trust people have in government. 

The trust in government measure stands at 38.74, which indicates that Americans believe they are only 38.74% of the way to living in a society where they can fully trust the government. 

Prospectively, this can be viewed as good news as there is plenty of room to grow in this area.

Fundamentally, the American Dream is about hope — the hope that every individual of whatever status has the chance to be all that he or she can be. 

It is America’s highest aspiration and promise and is inextricably bound to our nation’s ideals of freedom, equality, justice, and opportunity for all people.

Individuals’ pursuits, collectively, constitute the moral and economic engines that drive this nation forward. As the ADCI surveys show, there is a direct relationship between the number of individuals who pursue the American Dream and the health of society.

The greater the number of people who pursue their dreams, the healthier America’s economy is. 

Therefore it is not surprising that the ADCI has proven to be an excellent predictor of key economic activity. 

Ultimately, if our nation can effectively address the lack of trust we have in our institutions, individual economies will improve and so too will the quality of life of people living in America.  

According to Investopedia:

The American dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society in which upward mobility is possible for everyone.

The American dream is believed to be achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and hard work, rather than by chance.

The term was coined by writer and historian James Truslow Adams in his best-selling 1931 book Epic of America.

He described it as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.”

Adams went on to explain, “It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motorcars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”

The idea of the American dream has much deeper roots. Its tenets can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In a society based on these principles, an individual can live life to its fullest as they define it. America also grew mostly as a nation of immigrants who created a nation where becoming an American—and passing that citizenship to your children—didn’t require being the child of an American.

Today, homeownership is frequently cited as an example of attaining the American dream. It is a symbol of financial success and independence, and it means the ability to control one’s own dwelling place instead of being subject to the whims of a landlord. Owning a business and being one’s own boss also represents the American dream fulfillment. In addition, access to education and healthcare have been cited as elements of the Dream.

Owning property, one’s own business, and carving a life of one’s own making is all part of the American dream, and the U.S. as a first-world country also offers the benefits of pursuing these passions, without having to worry about basics such as accessing good education and healthcare.

The phrase “American dream” was often used by Progressive-era reformers of the 1900s. Rather than exalting the pursuit of wealth, they sought to tame monopoly capitalism and protect workers and communities from robber barons.

This concept was popularised by writer and historian James Truslow Adams in his best-selling 1931 book Epic of America.

He described it as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.”

The concept of the American dream is still one of the most uniquely “American” ideals—the ultimate idea that any individual should be able to pursue their dreams and build the life they want if they put in the hard work. 

This motivating drive influences the economy with entrepreneurship and individual ambition, infusing a romantic notion to anyone trying to be successful in the United States. 

Though the definition of the American Dream has changed to mean different things to different generations, it’s undoubtedly part of the American ethos, and always will be.

In the pursuit of your own happiness, choose your country, find your territory, your property and realise your own dream,