For many people living in Orange County, California, the American dream is starting to feel increasingly out of reach, especially when it comes to owning a home and raising a family.
A new poll from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) found that residents are evenly divided over whether the American dream is still possible in the county.
Among 809 adults surveyed in June, 45% said the dream remains achievable, while another 45% said it was achievable in the past but is no longer realistic today.
Jon Gould, dean of UCI’s School of Social Ecology and director of the UCI-OC Poll, said residents do not appear to have abandoned the idea of the American dream.
Instead, many are questioning whether Orange County is still a place where they can achieve it.
The results suggest Orange County residents are more pessimistic than Americans overall. In a 2024 national survey, 53% of Americans said the American dream was still achievable.
But people also have different ideas about what that dream means. About 28% of Orange County residents said it means having financial security and stability.
Another 22% associated it with owning a home and raising a family, while 22% said it means having freedom and personal independence.
Age makes a major difference. Among Gen Z residents, 38% described the American dream in terms of freedom and independence, while only 11% focused on homeownership and family. Millennials and Gen X residents were much more likely to connect the dream with buying a home and raising a family. Baby boomers were most likely to emphasize financial security.
Researchers suggest younger generations may be changing their definition of success partly because traditional goals such as buying a house, building a stable career and raising a family have become increasingly difficult to achieve.
Housing appears to be the biggest challenge. An overwhelming 93% of respondents said buying a home is harder today than it was for previous generations. Meanwhile, 79% said raising a family has become harder, and 70% said getting a good job is more difficult.
Nearly seven in 10 residents also said hard work by itself is no longer enough to afford a home and raise a family.
High living costs are changing major life decisions. About 57% of residents said Orange County’s cost of living had caused them to delay or reduce plans such as buying a home, getting married, having children or changing careers. The pressure is particularly strong among millennials, with 76% reporting such delays, compared with 36% of baby boomers.
Still, residents have not lost their attachment to Orange County. About 67% said they would encourage a young adult to build a future there, although many would warn them about high costs and limited opportunities.
The findings paint a complicated picture: Orange County remains a desirable place to live, but for many residents, building the life they want there is becoming increasingly difficult.
