Just 10 percent of Americans in a new survey say homeownership is easy to achieve, even as 89 percent see owning a home as essential or important to their vision of the future.
According to a Wall Street Journal/NORC poll taken in July, U.S. adults have a difference between their wishes and their expectations on various longer term economic issues.
Financial security and comfortable retirement also ranked as important but difficult to achieve.
The outlet noted that 12 years ago, the Public Religion Research Institute asked people if the American dream “still holds true.” More than half said it did.
Today, according to the recent survey, just about a third of respondents said the American dream is achievable.
Economists say people are right to feel that way, the Journal said, as younger generations have been priced out of homeownership and struggle with student debt.
Across gender and party lines, the survey showed a large gap in what Americans wish for their future and their expectations of what is realistic.
Vice President Harris’s campaign has sought to put a spotlight on the issue of home ownership, unveiling a strategy to provide more young Americans with the opportunity to own a home.
Harris also vowed to crack down on corporate landlords buying housing and renting them at high process, and said her administration would would build three million new housing units and provide homebuilders with tax incentives to sell to first-time buyers.
The Wall Street Journal/NORC survey was conducted June 26 to July 8 among 1,502 adults and has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.
