Pew’s Economic Mobility Project focuses public attention on the ability to move up or down the economic ladder within a lifetime or from one generation to the next. By forging broad, nonpartisan agreement on the facts and drivers of mobility, the project fosters policy debate and action on how best to improve economic opportunity and ensure that the American Dream is kept alive for future generations.
Why Economic Mobility Matters
For more than two centuries, economic opportunity and upward mobility have formed the foundation of the American Dream, and they remain at the core of our nation's identity. As policy makers seek to foster equality of opportunity, it’s critical that their decisions be informed by a robust and nonpartisan fact base on economic mobility.
Factors that Help or Hinder Economic Mobility
Economic mobility is influenced by a variety of factors including education, neighborhoods, savings, and family structure. Pew also strives to understand differences in mobility by income, race, and gender.
How We Conduct Our Work
Pew conducts research on economic mobility to inform policy makers and the public debate. We look at questions such as: How do children's opportunities to achieve the American Dream compare to those of their parents? To what extent is mobility affected by wealth, gender, race, and education? How do people’s mobility prospects differ depending on where they live?
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The LATEST from the Project
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- Press Release
- Economic Mobility Project
Pew Finds Economic Mobility Rates Differ for Canadians and Americans: Citizens of Both Nations Share Similar Perceptions and Values About Economic Opportunity
Canadians and Americans do not have the same likelihood of climbing the income ladder and experiencing economic mobility, according to a report by Pew's Economic Mobility Project. more
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- Report
- Economic Mobility Project
Chasing the Same Dream, Climbing Different Ladders
This 2010 report examined intergenerational economic mobility trends in Canada and the U.S.
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- Press Release
- Economic Mobility Project
Pew Analysis Finds That Nearly Three-Quarter of Children of Low-Income Parents With High Savings Move Up From the Bottom
Children born to low-income parents with savings above the median level are more likely to move up the income ladder as adults than those whose parents are low-income and low-saving, according to a new report released by Pew’s Economic Mobility Project. more
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- Report
- Economic Mobility Project
A Penny Saved is Mobility Earned
This November 2009 report found that having parents with high savings positively impacts one's upward mobility, particularly for children of low-income parents; having high savings oneself increases the chances of moving up from the bottom of the income ladder.
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- Issue Brief
- Economic Mobility Project
Renewing the American Dream: A Road Map to Enhancing Economic Mobility in America
Renewing the American Dream included practical recommendations to make the Dream of upward mobility a reality for generations to come, including the need for a “portfolio shift” in the federal government’s priorities.
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- Report
- Economic Mobility Project
Strengthening Community Colleges' Influence on Economic Mobility
This October 2009 report found that an associate degree is particularly meaningful for low-income, high-achieving high school students-over half of whom transfered to a four-year college, and, of those who transfered, three-quarters earned a bachelor's degree. In a time of high unemployment, community colleges were a critical stepping stone for people to increase their skills and earnings potential. The colleges also provided resources, including career counseling, to educate students about the classes and fields of study that had the potential for higher returns, such as health care and computer science.
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- Research & Analysis
- Economic Mobility Project
Neighborhoods and the Black-White Mobility Gap
This 2009 report found that growing up in a high-poverty neighborhood increases the risk of experiencing downward mobility and explains a sizable portion of the black-white downward mobility gap. more
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- Report
- Economic Mobility Project
Promoting Economic Mobility by Increasing Postsecondary Education
This 2009 report found that many low-income students miss out on college because they don't have good information about how significantly financial aid can reduce the cost of tuition, and the process for obtaining aid is not as straightforward and timely as it could be.
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- Research & Analysis
- Economic Mobility Project
A Detailed Picture of Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital
Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this 2009 report explored how parental education relates to four separate outcomes in the children’s generation: education, lifetime earnings, health and (financial) wealth. The authors related parents’ educational ranks to children’s ranks on these four outcomes. more -
- Report
- Economic Mobility Project
Ups and Downs
This June 2009 report assessed the extent to which the American economy promotes upward economic mobility and prevents downward economic mobility. The Economic Mobility Project released a new fact sheet in January 2012 focusing on Americans' prospects for recovery after an income loss. The findings shed light on the impact the Great Recession could have on family incomes and mobility into the future.
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