New Books in Political Science Elizabeth Suhay, "Debating the American Dream: How Explanations for Inequality Polarize Politics" (Russell Sage Foundation, 2025)
Mar 4, 2026
Elizabeth Suhay, associate professor at American University who studies public opinion and political psychology, discusses belief in the American Dream and its ties to political identity. She explores partisan divides over causes of inequality, how people learn about economic reality, changing mobility trends, and why Democrats and Republicans interpret meritocracy so differently.
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Historical Roots Of The American Dream
- The American Dream ideal arose from early upward mobility among European settlers and immigrants, embedding meritocratic expectations.
- Suhay notes that dispossession of Native lands and slavery partly enabled that early mobility and myth.
Recent Economic Changes That Undermined Mobility
- Economic shifts since the late 1970s produced the neoliberal era, weakened unions, globalization, and a sharp rise in income and wealth inequality.
- Suhay ties these policy and structural changes to stagnating wages for middle and lower‑income workers.
How Ordinary People Learn About Inequality
- People's beliefs about national inequality come from day‑to‑day experience plus elite cues from politicians, journalists, and social networks.
- Suhay emphasizes social group narratives shape whether outcomes are seen as deserved or unfair.
