‘American Dream’ – An Illusion?
According to psychologists MICHAEL W. KRAUS, SHAI DAVIDAI
and A. DAVID NUSSBAUM:
“Recently, studies
by two independent research teams (each led by an author of this article) found
that Americans across the economic spectrum did indeed severely misjudge the
amount of upward mobility in society. The data also confirmed the psychological
utility of this mistake: Overestimating upward mobility was self-serving for
rich and poor people alike. For those who saw themselves as rich and
successful, it helped justify their wealth. For the poor, it provided hope for
a brighter economic future.”
Estimating Population Growth Rates is Not Easy
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/opinion/sunday/manil-suri-mathematicians-and-blue-crabs.html