Fewer Americans [1]now than at any time in the past half century believe they're moving forward in life.

A majority of respondents in an April 2008 Pew Survey say that in the past five years, they either "haven't moved forward in life" (25%) or have "fallen backwards" (31%). This is the most downbeat short-term assessment of personal progress in nearly half a century of polling by the Pew Research Center and the Gallup organization, though it correlates perfectly with gaps in income, also discussed in the report.