Nine out of ten Americans born in the 1940s achieved higher incomes than their parents. But only half of those born in the 80s have a better financial situation, compared to the previous generation.
In recent decades, instead, it has been in Canada and Scandinavia that the American dream of a class trip has been easiest to implement. One explanation is that Scandinavian countries have traditionally had a more homogeneous population, according to Raj Chetty.
– It can make it easier to make contact between the classes and make the social capital bigger, which we have seen increases the chances of social mobility. But when segregation increases, it can reduce the opportunities for class trips, he tells the Economic Agency.
Then it gets better
Through his research, Raj Chetty has been able to show that societies where people from different backgrounds and in different income groups are mixed have a better development, both for the society at large and for those who live there.
– It can open up more job opportunities and for several different types of role models. If, as a child, you live near people who went to university, there is a greater chance that you will do it yourself, he says.
Don’t miss Ekonomibyrån’s latest episode The Swedish dream in SVT Play.