GREAT RECESSION

Poll: American Dream More Elusive

Just 39 percent think children will have better life.

American life is looking more and more like a Bruce Springsteen song. Just 39 percent of Americans believe in the age-old American dream: that their children will have a higher standard of living, according to a Washington Post-Miller Central poll released Sunday. The poll of 1,509 adults showed the wearying effects of the economic meltdown five years ago, with almost two-thirds of people saying they had concerns about how to cover their family’s basic costs, and one in three saying they worry about paying the bills “all the time.” And nobody is getting any satisfaction in the workplace either: 58 percent said they earn less than they deserve, and more than half doubt they could find a better-paying job within five years. To top it all off, fear of losing your job is at its highest level since 1970.