Over the past year, the public´s economic mood has darkened
considerably, with 86% of individuals now reporting that the U.S.
economy is headed in the wrong direction, up from 64% just one year
ago, according to a new study by MetLife. More than nine in ten
individuals (93%) believe that Americans have to work as hard as or
harder than ever just to get by, up from 87%. Yet, an intriguing
dichotomy is emerging. Despite this collective pessimism about the
outlook for the country, the American spirit of personal optimism and
self-reliance is holding strong; 85% of individuals expect their own
financial situation to be about the same or even better this year,
compared to last year.
This is a key finding from MetLife´s second Study of the American
Dream, which reveals that the American dream is still alive despite
growing concerns about rising energy costs, declining home values and
rising levels of personal debt. More than one-third (37%) of the
individuals surveyed believe they have achieved the American dream -
which a majority define first and foremost as "financial security."
Over the past year, there has been a significant increase in the
number of Baby Boomers who report that they have achieved the dream -
up 8 percentage points to 40%. Among Americans who have yet to achieve
it, 74% believe that it´s possible to achieve the American dream in
their lifetime, up from 67% last year.
Growing Concern about the Economy, Future Generations
Despite such personal optimism, Americans are deeply concerned on
a collective level about the country´s economic outlook. Across
generations, roughly half (49%) of Americans expect the economy to be
worse in 2008 than it was in 2007. Causing particular uneasiness are
energy costs - cited by 58% of Americans as a reason the economy is
off track, up from 41% last year - as well as healthcare costs (36%),
the national budget deficit (31%), high personal debt levels (30%) and
the outlook for Social Security (25%). Ninety-three percent are
concerned that rising energy prices will have a negative impact on the
American dream over the next 5 - 10 years.
"As traditional safety nets continue to erode and the cost of
daily living expenses rise, Americans are feeling a collective loss of
optimism and control," said C. Robert Henrikson, chairman of the
board, president and chief executive officer, MetLife, Inc. "On a
personal level, however, Americans are gearing up to take their
finances into their own hands and believe that they will achieve the
American dream in their lifetime."
A Shifting Burden and Its Effect on Future Generations
Consistent with last year´s finding, roughly two-thirds (64%) of
Americans feel pressure as a result of diminished confidence in
government-sponsored benefits. An equal percentage is frustrated by
shrinking employer-sponsored benefits, which - due to competitive and
cost pressures - are increasingly shifting to the individual. Slightly
more than half of Americans (52%) believe that they are carrying more
financial burdens for their family than their parents´ generation had
to. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of Americans are worried that the
financial burden shift will lessen future generations´ (such as their
children´s) ability to lead a comfortable life. Seventy-four percent
of Generation Y workers (18-31 year olds) feel that the bar is
constantly rising in terms of satisfying the basic necessities of
life, compared with 65% of workers overall.
Primed for Action: A Three-Pronged Approach
There are several indicators that Americans are gearing up to
protect their own financial futures: 1) their interest in creating
their own personal safety net, 2) their desire for their employer to
provide employee benefits and advice at the workplace, and 3) their
level of engagement with the 2008 Presidential election.
"There is a strong, almost unflappable, desire to achieve the
American dream, which hasn´t dampened even given today´s economic
realities," noted Beth Hirschhorn, senior vice president and chief
marketing officer, MetLife. "This confidence is not necessarily a sign
of denial. Rather, we reconcile the clashing forces of macro pessimism
and micro optimism by the fact that Americans appear primed to take
action."
Ready to Create Their Own Personal Safety Net
In light of uncertainty about traditional social and corporate
safety nets, more than three-quarters (77%) of Americans say they are
planning to build their own personal safety nets to protect their
family´s financial future. Yet, the products that they think should
comprise a personal financial safety net differ by generational
cohort. While both Baby Boomers and GenYers are first and foremost
interested in health insurance that continues through retirement (64%
and 57%, respectively), followed by a retirement savings plan such as
a 401(k) (49% and 52% respectively), Boomers rank income annuities
(45%) and long-term care insurance (31%) next; whereas, GenYers would
include life insurance (38%) followed by income annuities (31%) in
their personal safety net.
Counting on the Workplace for Benefits, Advice
There is an important role that employers can play in helping
individuals create their own safety net: providing access to employee
benefits - even if employees have to fund most or all of the costs
themselves. Across generations, 95% of individuals believe
employee-funded benefits are important. Younger employees, in
particular, are also looking for benefits education and advice. More
than one in four (26%) would like more education from their employers
about the products they should purchase to create their own personal
financial safety nets and one in five workers would like financial
planning in the workplace to help them make sound decisions.
Making Their Vote Count
Finally, Americans are preparing to take political action to keep
the American dream within reach. Three in four Americans believe that
the 2008 Presidential election will be more important than past
elections - and roughly the same percentage (71%) believe the
election´s outcome may impact their ability to achieve the dream. Gen
Xers and GenYers are eyeing the election particularly closely, with
75% of each demographic saying the election´s results will impact
their ability to achieve the American dream.
The most important election issues cited by Americans are the
economy (26%), the war in Iraq (17%) and healthcare (12%). While
members of the Silent Generation are most concerned about the War in
Iraq, 80% of all Americans - and 86% of GenYers - are concerned that
ongoing conflict in Iraq will compromise their ability to achieve the
American dream.
"Across generations, Americans are eager to take action and make
life better for themselves and their families," added Hirschhorn.
"Their strong sense of optimism and self-reliance are giving them the
confidence they´ll need to shoulder the burdens that are shifting to
them. But, realistically, to keep the American dream within reach,
they´ll need help from employers, financial advisors and public
policymakers."
From January 4-6, 2008, Strategy First Partners and Penn, Schoen
and Berland Associates conducted 800 online surveys in the United
States among the general population, including the Silent Generation,
Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. The purpose of the study
is to understand and track Americans´ sense of financial security and
their ability to achieve the American Dream.
MetLife is a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), a leading
provider of insurance and financial services with operations
throughout the United States and the Latin America, Europe and Asia
Pacific regions. Through its domestic and international subsidiaries
and affiliates, MetLife, Inc. reaches more than 70 million customers
around the world and MetLife is the largest life insurer in the United
States (based on life insurance in-force). The MetLife companies offer
life insurance, annuities, auto and home insurance, retail banking and
other financial services to individuals, as well as group insurance,
reinsurance and retirement & savings products and services to
corporations and other institutions. For more information, please
visit www.metlife.com.
*Only those 18 and older in the Generation Y cohort were
interviewed for the study.
