Press Releases
- The Economic Mobility Project Releases Comprehensive Examination of the Status of the American Dream, Including Data and Analysis on Education, Wealth, International Comparisons and Trends over Time A major new look at the trends and issues impacting economic opportunity for Americans was released today by the Economic Mobility Project, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. “Getting Ahead or Losing Ground: Economic Mobility in America,” is authored by three Brookings Institution scholars, Julia B. Isaacs, Isabel V. Sawhill and Ron Haskins and includes new chapters on education, wealth, international comparisons and trends over time. These, combined with previously released chapters on gender, race, immigration and families, comprise the entire volume. 02/19/2008
- Many Poor and Lower-Income Households Excluded from the Federal Government's $700 Billion Spending on Economic Mobility This first effort to define a “mobility budget” finds that poor and lower-income households are often excluded from the federal government’s spending on economic mobility. Spending that reaches lower-income households accounts for less than one-third of all mobility spending. While these households do benefit from many other federal programs, those programs generally are not aimed at promoting mobility, and sometimes even discourage it. 02/12/2008
- Two-thirds of American Families Earn More than Their Parents — Yet the Ability to Climb the Economic Ladder Depends on Parents' Income Two-thirds of American families are earning more today than their parents did a generation ago, yet their likelihood of moving up—or down—the economic ladder still depends in large measure on their parents’ position, according to a new report issued by The Economic Mobility Project, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Comprised of a Principals’ Group of experts from The American Enterprise Institute, The Brookings Institution, The Heritage Foundation and The Urban Institute, the project seeks to investigate the status of economic mobility in America. 11/13/2007
- Immigrants Still Climbing America's Economic Ladder, But Trends Suggest Progress is Slowing (WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- America continues to be the land of opportunity for immigrant families, but the degree of upward economic mobility for newer arrivals has slowed from that experienced by earlier waves of immigrants, according to a report released today by the Economic Mobility Project, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. “The American economic assimilation machine remains strong for immigrants and they continue to seize our nation’s historic promise of opportunity, working to make a better life for themselves and their children,” said John E. Morton, managing director of economic policy at Pew. “But trends are heading downward and there are substantial changes in wages that raise real questions about the degree of continued upward movement for future generations.” 07/24/2007
- New Analysis Sees Men Failing To Reach Income Levels Of Previous Generation American men have less income than their fathers’ generation did at the same age, according to a new analysis released today by the Economic Mobility Project, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Comprised of a Principals’ Group of experts from The American Enterprise Institute, The Brookings Institution, The Heritage Foundation, and The Urban Institute, the project seeks to investigate the health and status of economic mobility in America. 05/24/2007
- The Pew Charitable Trusts Announces New Project to Assess State of Economic Mobility in America A new project launched today in Washington is working to spark consensus across the political spectrum that America’s long-term interest lies in understanding "economic mobility" -- the ability to move up the economic ladder in a lifetime and over generations – and ensuring it remains a cornerstone of the American Dream. 02/27/2007