Democrats, Republicans split on whether hard work results in economic advancement: poll

Republicans and Democrats are split on whether hard work results in more financial gain and economic advancement in the U.S. economy, according to a poll from the Wall Street Journal.

About 85 percent of Republicans agree that hard work can get anyone ahead, while just 53 percent of Democrats believe that, the poll shows.

The two political parties also disagree about how great America is, with more than nine in 10 Republicans agreeing that “America is the greatest country in the world,” while only 61 percent of Democrats feel that way.

About 34 percent of Republicans say their generation will do better than the one before, compared to 55 percent of Democrats.

Democrats are more likely to agree that hurdles such as systemic racism, predatory companies and inequality create an uneven playing field in the U.S. economy.

Republicans argue that hard work and motivation can get people ahead in America.

​​Significant racial disparities do persist in America. According to the Brookings Institution, in 2019 the median White household held $188,200 in wealth, 7.8 times higher than the median for a Black household at $24,400.

Additionally, income inequality between the world’s richest and the average American worker are only increasing. The CEO average pay in 2021 was 324 times higher than employees.

The Wall Street Journal poll was conducted Aug. 17 to Aug. 25 among 1,313 registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.

The poll was conducted by Impact Research and Fabrizio, Lee & Associates.