While the expectation that each new generation will surpass their parents is a central tenet of the American Dream, those lower classes are significantly more likely than middle or upper-class adults to believe their children will have a worse standard of living than they do. Only half (51%) say that hard work brings success, a view expressed by overwhelming majorities of those in the middle (67%) and upper classes (71%). About three-quarters (77%) say it’s harder now to get ahead than it was 10 years ago. Those in the lower classes also say they are less happy and less healthy, and the stress they report experiencing is more than other adults.Īs they look to their own future and that of their children, many in the lower class see their prospects dimming. Eight-in-ten adults (84%) in the lower classes say they had to cut back spending in the past year because money was tight, compared with 62% who say they are middle class and 41% who say they are in the upper classes. The survey finds that hard times have been particularly hard on the lower class. Among Democrats, 33% now call themselves lower class, compared with 29% in 2008. Some 23% now call themselves lower class, up from 13% in 2008. When it comes to political affiliation, more Democrats than Republicans place themselves in the lower classes, but Republicans saw a sharper rise over the past four years.
As a consequence, a virtually identical share of blacks (33%) and whites (31%) now say they are in the lower class. The share of blacks in the lower class has not changed in four years, one of the few demographic groups in which the proportion in the lower classes did not grow. 1 The shares of Hispanics and whites who place themselves in the lower class also are growing.Īmong blacks, the story is different. People younger than 30 are disproportionately swelling the ranks of the self-defined lower classes. Not only has the lower class grown, but its demographic profile also has shifted. And if you stray toward Irvington it goes from ‘just okay’ to ‘bad’.The percentage of Americans who say they are in the lower-middle or lower class has risen from a quarter of the adult population to about a third in the past four years, according to a national survey of 2,508 adults by the Pew Research Center. I would not consider Hillside middle- or upper middle-class. The sad reality is, despite NJ being one of the more progressive states, there are still too many whites who feel uncomfortable having black people mixed in their neighborhoods and attending their schools (despite none of the above towns having a high crime rate) because they have deep-seated racist views, hence why there many of the above towns are highly segregated still. Rose, Ranney, Mater Dei, and Donovan Catholic). (58% white and 38% black, but nearly all of Neptune HS is black, while the white students are going to St. This is, unfortunately, exactly how it is in Neptune Twp. Usually, the white portion of the town sends their kids to private schools and the Black population attends the public schools. You get some neighborhoods that are almost completely white and others almost completely black. In Maplewood, South Orange, and Montclair, things are pretty integrated, but in most of the other towns, especially Neptune, Ewing, and Somerset, it is virtually completely segregated.
The other problem with suburbs with middle-class towns in NJ that have a significant Black population tend to be very segregated. Maybe it's because there are quite a lot of historically Black colleges in VA and MD, while NJ has none? In the DC metro area where I live now, there are plenty of middle-class, upper-middle-class, and even high-end suburbs with a large Black population. It's a shame that the black middle class presence in NJ is quite low compared to other areas. Neptune is the only town above that is on the shore and has a beach. Ewing is probably the most suburbanized while Montclair is the most urban. All have very nice downtowns, above average schools, and are quite expensive to live in. Of the towns listed, Maplewood, South Orange, and Montclair are definitely the nicest. Maybe Pennsauken? I think it has too many low-income neighborhoods to be considered a "middle class town". South Jersey, as far as I know, doesn't have any middle class areas with a significant Black population. In central Jersey there's Somerset (29%), Ewing (28%), Neptune Township (38%)
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