ARTICLE:
It appears the decade of financial struggle and employment difficulties has taken a toll on the American psyche, as a record number of 8.4% of them self identify as lower class. Thats not an easy thing to do; we are, after all, the nation that insists we are all one big middle class....just lower or upper middle. To our success driven minds, to accept the title of lower class is almost to accept defeat. While taking on monikers like "poor" and "needy" may not be occurring any time soon, with 4% of the population on welfare, the dollar stores business booming, and other examples of belt tightening, it seems many American's no longer deny the reality of their situation, or at least, feel the effects more profoundly than ever. The traditional hallmarks of middle class--owning a house with a picket fence, sending the kids to college and having two cars--is hard to obtain, and with it, it seems, the whole dream of being a middle class American.
SITE:
http://money.msn.com/now/post--more-americans-than-ever-say-theyre-lower-class
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/08/why-americans-all-believe-they-are-middle-class/278240/
