Americans’ Attitudes Toward Work

• 65% of Americans would keep working even if they had enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
• 63% of Americans agree that their standard of living is at least somewhat better than their parents’ was at the same age.
• 45% of Americans believe their children’s future standard of living will be at least somewhat better than theirs is today. Twenty percent believe it will be the same, and 21% fear it will be worse.
• 69% of Americans believe that hard work rather than luck is the key to getting ahead.

The Official Guide to American Attitudes by Susan Mitchell, 1996, New Strategist Publications, Inc., quoted in The Promise Keeper, 1998, p. 6