New Books Network Podcast Summary

Episode: Elizabeth Suhay, "Debating the American Dream: How Explanations for Inequality Polarize Politics"
Date: December 26, 2025
Host: Stephen Pimpair
Guest: Elizabeth Suhay, Professor of Government, American University

Episode Overview

This episode features a deep-dive conversation between host Stephen Pimpair and Dr. Elizabeth Suhay about her new book, Debating the American Dream: How Explanations for Inequality Polarize Politics (Russell Sage Foundation, 2025). The discussion probes how Americans’ beliefs about the causes of inequality shape their perceptions of the American dream and, crucially, how these beliefs drive political polarization along demographic and especially partisan lines.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Framing the American Dream – Ideals vs. Reality

[05:04–08:26]

• The “American Dream”—that hard work should translate into success—is a concept that unites Americans regardless of background.
• Dr. Suhay asserts, “Americans are absolutely united in this idea that we ought to have the American dream… meritocratic abundance… But what people really disagree about is whether or not we have reached the American dream.” (Elizabeth Suhay, 06:00)

2. How People Explain Inequality

[05:40–08:26]

• The research examines causal attributions—whether people believe inequality is due to individual effort, structural barriers, discrimination, access to education, or other factors.
• Suhay conducted two national surveys, asking fine-grained questions about why wealth and success are unevenly distributed.

3. Demographic Differences in Perceptions of the American Dream

[08:26–13:18]

• Suhay reviews common demographic predictors:
  • Women, and Black and Latino Americans are more pessimistic about the American dream’s attainability than men and White Americans.
  • Rural and religious people tend to be more optimistic.
  • More educated Americans are actually more skeptical—a surprising result.
• “Educated people… express some of the most skeptical views… It’s more of a socially constructed point of view for many people.” (Elizabeth Suhay, 10:28)
• Income plays a surprisingly small role.

4. Partisanship: The Main Source of Polarization

[13:18–14:10]

• Once partisanship is accounted for, the differences are “two to three times the size” of demographic gaps.
  • Republicans: “Way more optimistic about people’s ability to be upwardly mobile through hard work.”
  • Democrats: “Much more skeptical that people can be upwardly mobile.”
• This divide holds across explanations for inequality (economic, racial, gender).

5. Changing Party Coalitions and Polarization Over Time

[15:26–20:58]

• The gap between Democrats and Republicans on “American dream optimism” has widened in recent decades.
  • Somewhat counterintuitively, as the GOP has become more working-class, its base remains more optimistic than Democrats.
  • “If you look over the last 20 years, you’ll actually find polarization… views in those party coalitions… have moved farther apart, which is I think pretty counterintuitive.” (Elizabeth Suhay, 16:46)

6. Not All Inequalities Are Politically Charged

[17:15–20:58]

• The deepest partisan divides are found when discussing economic, racial, or gender inequality—topics heavily amplified by party elites.
• For inequalities lacking partisan “script”—like rural vs. urban or White vs. Asian American earnings gaps—public explanations are less polarized. Parties don’t emphasize these divides, so the public follows suit.
  • “People were much more likely to agree across that partisan boundary on the reasons for rural urban inequality… because this is not a part of partisan debate.” (Elizabeth Suhay, 18:29)

7. Origins of Americans’ Beliefs about Mobility and Opportunity

[22:14–27:17]

• Suhay suggests people’s formative environments (family, community, political culture) supply the frameworks for their beliefs, reinforced by attention to party cues over time.
• Political parties shape narratives in ways that serve their core interests and powerful coalitions:
  • Democrats’ messaging is closer “to the economic interests of ordinary Americans” but can sometimes be overly negative.
  • Republican narratives are influenced by big donors and business interests, resulting in consistent “rah rah American dream” messaging even when the base is struggling.

8. Cognitive Dissonance and Political Identity

[27:17–30:57]

• Pimpair asks why people persist in optimistic beliefs about mobility even when their lives tell a different story.
• Suhay offers explanations:
  • Hope: “I’m gonna make it so a couple years from now, things have been great.” (Elizabeth Suhay, 28:18)
  • Displacement of Blame: Focus on immigrants or globalization to explain hardship without demanding redistribution.
  • Internal Variation: Some Republicans recognize the gap—and become more progressive on policy as their skepticism grows.
  • The “Trump Effect”: Trump’s willingness to declare “the American Dream is dead” resonated with disaffected Republicans and independents, but his subsequent optimism has a potential cost: “I think right now [Trump]… is actually losing… some support over it.” (Elizabeth Suhay, 30:36)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On universal ideals vs. reality:
  “Americans are absolutely united in this idea that we ought to have the American dream… But what people really disagree about is whether or not we have reached the American dream.”
  (Elizabeth Suhay, 06:00)

• On partisanship eclipsing demographics:
  “…you bring partisanship in, and it’s two to three times the size of the demographic divide.”
  (Elizabeth Suhay, 13:02)

• On surprising educational trends:
  “Educated people… express some of the most skeptical views… It’s more of a socially constructed point of view for many people.”
  (Elizabeth Suhay, 10:28)

• On polarization:
  “…over the last 20 years, you’ll actually find polarization… views in those party coalitions… have moved farther apart…”
  (Elizabeth Suhay, 16:46)

Important Timestamps

• 01:36 – 02:02 | Host/guest introductions and background
• 05:04 – 08:26 | Defining and measuring the American Dream
• 08:26 – 13:18 | Demographic analysis of views on inequality and opportunity
• 13:18 – 14:10 | The impact of partisanship on perceptions of inequality
• 15:43 – 20:58 | Partisan polarization over time; discussion of “scripted” vs. unscripted inequality
• 22:14 – 27:17 | Where do these polarized views come from?
• 27:17 – 30:57 | Resolving the cognitive dissonance between lived reality and optimistic/partisan belief

Tone & Style

The conversation is analytical but approachable, weaving in both the latest political science and clear, concrete examples. Suhay mixes academic restraint with willingness to draw meaningful causal connections, while Pimpair is candid about his own “biases” rooted in policy evidence. The tone is respectful, reflective, and occasionally wry.

Summary Takeaway

Suhay’s research shows that most Americans hold fast to the ideal of the American Dream, but their beliefs about whether that dream is a reality—and the causes of contemporary inequality—are sharply divided, above all along partisan lines. These divisions are not only reflections of lived experience but are deeply shaped by political messaging and elite rhetoric. The polarization is growing even as parties’ demographic coalitions evolve, complicating prospects for consensus on addressing inequality—unless and until the American political script itself shifts.