
How the World Perceives the New American Dream
And why today’s dream doesn’t export as well as the original
And why today’s dream doesn’t export as well as the original
Twelve years after work began on a $2 billion entertainment complex in New Jersey, is another giant mall still an appealing vision?
The scholar and cultural critic Juliet Schor argues that the once-niche opposition to hyper-consumerism is becoming more mainstream.
Every year, unique people—each with their own cultural history—become new citizens of the United States. Must they leave their own heritage behind?
A portrait of a region
People used to believe they would someday move on up in the world. Now they’re more concerned with just holding on to what they have.
A short film about a realty company in Levittown, Pennsylvania
Leisure and domestic bliss never seemed to materialize as promised. But over the years people have found ways to break down the standard designs and craft spaces of their own.
Portraits of a nation in search of a better life
China’s president has staked his reputation on fulfilling the “Chinese Dream.” Here’s what he envisions.
The well-being of children, the status of women, and the happiness of men will depend on whether more fathers are willing to take on primary parenting roles.
People whose parents were in the labor movement decades ago are earning more today than those whose parents were not. Why?
When you’re alone in a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness, the simplest question becomes the most complicated: How do you fill a day?
A poll finds a split between those who fear the nation’s best days are behind it, and those who still believe better days lie ahead.
According to Franklin, what mattered in business was humility, restraint, and discipline. But today’s Type-A MBAs would find him qualified for little more than a career in middle management.
When we asked Atlantic readers to show us what a successful life looks like, we received hundreds of submissions from around the country. Then, we smashed them up.
Hugo Ortega's journey from undocumented Mexican immigrant to owning three of Houston's top restaurants
Grasses—green, neatly trimmed, symbols of civic virtue—shaped the national landscape. They have now outlived their purpose.
As 2016 draws near, most report being satisfied with their own lives, but not with the direction of the country.
Bruce Springsteen’s breakout album embodied the lost ‘70s—the tense, political, working-class rejection of an increasingly unequal society.
How Wanda James, the first African American dispensary owner in the state, plans to tackle one of the fastest growing industries in America
Over the next two months, The Atlantic will explore many different visions of the American dream, in stories, videos, and photo essays.
What does a successful life look like to Atlantic readers in the U.S. and abroad?
A survey reveals a huge gap between Americans’ pessimism about the nation and their optimism about their own lives.
Even if middle-class ambitions are illusory, it sure helps to believe in them.
Despite what some people think, it isn't to live a perfect life.