What Americans Really Want is an Opportunity to Make a Difference
The Beacon Project's first report offers a major advance in our understanding of what can unite Americans
It’s not news that America seems more divided than ever right now. However, are we really that divided about everything? Looking at social media, it may seem like there is very little that unites us as Americans anymore. But is this really true?
Don’t let social media fool you into thinking that there is very little common ground. As L. Todd Rose points out, collective illusions abound. So much of our thinking is informed by false assumptions about what others think. Because of the desire to fit in, people often don’t voice their actual opinions, giving the false impression that all the tribes are way more divided than they really are. People feel so much pressure to agree with their in-group “party line” that they are scared to voice their nuance or even disagree with their group.
Thus I was really excited to come across a new report from The Beacon Project, a wonderful nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization seeking to understand and address social division. The researchers wanted to actually test the assumption that people are so divided about the importance of agency and opportunity. The kicker? Most Americans don’t see agency and opportunity as at odds with each other. In fact, most Americans really want an opportunity to make a difference. The researchers refer to it as “Morally Directed Agency”.
It got me thinking: Perhaps there should be an Opportunity Party (Or Potential Party) that is agnostic to race, gender, neurodiversity, SES background, etc. No matter who you are or where you came from, the government works hard on your behalf to give you the opportunity to self-actualize and reach your fullest potential given that you have the passion, drive, and vision. I’d sign up for that party (or maybe I’ll start it!).
Daniel Yudkin at The Beacon Project was kind enough to allow me to repost his newsletter article summarizing their results, so check it out below for a fuller explanation of what they found, and let me know what you think in the comments!
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Beyond the ceaseless spectacle of our national politics, millions of Americans are quietly asking themselves the same simple question: Why can’t we build a country where things just work?
The frustration in this query stems in part from Americans’ feeling that political leaders fail to grasp their everyday concerns. Indeed, four in five Americans from both political parties agree that “politicians don’t care what people like me think.”
Part of the Beacon Project’s mission is to help change this dynamic. We believe that by better understanding people’s core beliefs and values, we may be able to help build a society that reflects these values.
Today, we’re excited to announce a significant development in this effort: the first major report from the Beacon Project. The report leverages data from 60,000 individuals collected across four countries over seven years to explore how Americans think about hard work, opportunity, and the American Dream.
The report finds that Americans of all stripes believe that individuals have the power to transcend negative circumstances, or “personal agency.” But they also think that people should be afforded the opportunity to exercise that agency—not just to better themselves, but also to improve their communities. We call this “morally directed agency,” and suggest it may be an important component of a unifying vision for the country.
Faith in the Individual
The report, called Weaving the Dream: How Opportunity and Personal Agency Can Shape a Common Vision for America, set out to answer a simple question: what do Americans think determines success?
This issue is considered to be highly politicized. On one side, liberals and progressives tend to emphasize the need for a strong and supportive government to counteract unfair policies and discrimination. On the other, conservatives emphasize the importance of personal responsibility.
Yet our research paints a more nuanced—and ultimately more hopeful—picture.
First, we find that Americans hold an abiding faith in the power of the individual. For example, three quarters of Americans (75 percent) say that “hard work and effort” played a bigger role than “luck and circumstance” in getting them where they are today. And two thirds (66 percent) believe people are primarily responsible for their own outcomes in life.
This perspective is shared by a wide swath of Americans, including those from left-leaning and historically marginalized groups. For example, two thirds (66 percent) of Democrats, three in four (76 percent) of Black Americans, and almost nine in ten (89 percent) of US immigrants say “hard work” played a greater role than “luck and circumstance” in getting them where they are today. And more than half of every major demographic group say that people are primarily responsible for their own outcomes in life.
Furthermore, when asked what contributes to a person’s success, the most common response, even among Democrats, is the “individual,” followed by one’s “family” and “community.” The “government” is the least commonly-selected option, regardless of politics. This complicates the popular narrative that conservative Americans are the only ones who emphasize hard work as the primary explanation for personal success.
The Importance of Opportunity
Notably, however, Americans’ faith in personal agency does not appear to contradict their awareness of the ways in which people’s lives can be shaped by unfair circumstances—and of society’s role in evening the playing field. For example, even four in five (82 percent) Republicans believe the government is at least “a little” important in ensuring success. And only 6 percent of Americans overall believe that outside forces play no role whatsoever in determining people’s success in life.
Thus, most Americans recognize that both agency and opportunity are critical for success.
On the other hand, some disagree. In particular, about 10 percent of Progressive Activists and 12 percent of Devoted Conservatives say individual choices and outside forces, respectively, play no role whatsoever in shaping success. (For more information on these groups, see our Hidden Tribes study.)
While these groups represent small percentages of the overall American population, they are also more active in the political conversation than their more moderate counterparts. This can create the impression that their opinions are more widely held than they actually are. This may explain why liberals and conservatives may in reality hold more nuanced views than some might assume.
Moments of Pride
Why do Americans have such a strong commitment to personal agency? One reason is that experiences of agency make up one of their deepest sources of personal pride. We asked hundreds of focus group participants to recount the proudest moment in their lives. The most frequent response had to do with a time when they overcame an obstacle through their own hard work or determination.
As one focus group participant put it:
“The proudest moment in my life was when I graduated from college, because I was the first person in my entire family who went to college and obtained a professional degree. It was very hard for me because some family members did not approve of a woman going to college, and because we did not have a good financial situation. But I got a full scholarship and went against all the odds and obtained my degree with academic excellence.”
— 36-year old Hispanic woman, Moderate, Tennessee
In other words, part of what makes agency beliefs so attractive is that people often feel the greatest sense of pride about times they took control of their lives or overcame an obstacle.
America and the World
Given Americans’ strong commitment to personal agency, one might think that there is something unique about their willingness to embrace the power of self-reliance. After all, “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” often feels synonymous to the American Dream.
Yet this is not the case. American culture is known for its individualism, but Americans’ commitment to personal agency is no higher than that in any of the three other Western Democracies we surveyed: Germany, France, and the UK (the latter two shown below).
On the other hand, agency beliefs are more politicized in the US than in other countries, meaning there is greater disagreement between left and right here than abroad. Nevertheless, even a majority of left-leaning Americans embrace agency beliefs.
Weaving the Dream
These findings reveal an important tension in the American story. On one side, they show just how much faith Americans place in people’s ability to transcend negative circumstances. Stories of grit and determination are among the most enduring sources of meaning and hope for Americans, and moments in which people were able to exercise agency represent a lasting source of pride. To deny the power of this belief would thus be to negate one of the most integral and electrifying parts of the national spirit.
Yet any story of America must also grapple with mounting evidence from social science showing just how much people’s lives are shaped by accidents of birth. Indeed, throughout American history, political and historical forces have conspired to deny certain groups and individuals’ opportunities for success. Underfunded schools, a dysfunctional political system, unequal access to medical care, structural barriers to employment, and unsafe neighborhoods—these are all examples of circumstances that undermine agency.
The challenge for anyone seeking to build a more hopeful and unifying vision of the future, therefore, is to find a story that both embraces people’s agency and acknowledges these barriers.
To test the idea that a successful vision of the future would weave together agency and opportunity, More in Common asked a representative sample of Americans to indicate whether the American Dream is the result of individual effort, or social policy, or both.
Americans overwhelmingly choose “both.” For example, when asked what determines whether someone is successful in the United States, most Americans (55 percent) say that it depends on the person’s hard work and self-determination and on the systems and policies that shape opportunity.
Similarly, most Americans (54 percent) want to live in a country where everyone strives to be the best version of themselves and the government ensures everyone has a fair shot.
In sum, people do not appear to consider agency and opportunity as mutually exclusive. Instead, people support a system in which people are provided the opportunity to exercise agency.
Morally Directed Agency
These findings hint at a more unifying story—one that emphasizes the symbiotic relationship between individual and society in building success.
To test this possibility, the we explored Americans’ agreement with a statement that asserted both individuals’ right to the basic building blocks they need to pursue their potential, and their responsibility to give back to their country and community.
This statement emphasizes agency, but it is morally directed—that is, it emphasizes the importance of people using their potential to improve their own lives and the lives of the people around them.
We find that Americans overwhelmingly embrace morally directed agency, with four in five (80%) of Americans generally agreeing with the definition below (including more than three quarters of Americans from all party affiliations). Morally directed agency therefore appears to be one promising path toward a unifying vision for America.
A Common Vision for the Future?
Our society is undergoing a series of rapid changes, ranging from the advent of artificial intelligence to pitched political battles over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). These changes are resurfacing age-old questions about how to build a fair, prosperous society in which everyone can thrive.
This report suggests that a key to building this society is working to create opportunities where people have a chance not just to better themselves but also to improve their communities.
This idea of contribution is reflected in the French historian Alexis de Tocqueville phrase “self-interest, rightly understood,” which refers to the idea that people derive long-term benefit from acting in ways that promote the common good.
This notion applies in many contexts today. For example, a recent report by More in Common finds that people are most interested in connecting with different others when they are working toward a common goal that improves their communities. This further supports the idea that the prospect of serving the community can be motivating.
As our country approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, questions of our national values and identity become even more relevant. Yet in this moment, we are divided and distrustful of each other. We need to rebuild a shared narrative that resonates with every American that can offer us a shared vision for the future.
By seeing more clearly how the path to justice runs through, rather than around, personal agency, we may go further toward building the fair, prosperous nation that we aspire to be.
LINKS
ABOUT THE BEACON PROJECT
This newsletter was produced by the Beacon Project at More in Common, a multi-year effort to develop a new civic vision that speaks to modern challenges. For more on the Beacon Project, visit beaconproject.us.
Say what you will but it will never work. Stupid people have bred like rats and now outnumber anyone with a brain. You get your lopsided perspective because stupid people are too stupid to provide their input. Stupid people want what we have now. An ignorant authoritative government that forces their imagined agenda on everyone else and tells them what to do everyday because they are too stupid to figure it out for themselves. Read The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. We are now firmly entrenched in the fall of the arrogant entitled falsehood of democracy called the US for United States of the Lowest IQ. The US is dying, let it go, it’s outlived its usefulness.
100% wrong 65% of Americans are OBESE and the rest are eating
ordered or actually have one of the five eating disorders they feel like crap they’re not gonna think about what to do to unite us Wake up