• by Karl Greenberg , March 6, 2012

We've been through a rough couple of years -- and frankly, there isn't much reason for most Americans to be terribly optimistic. But there is some optimism out there, and it's not just suffused among the Gulf Stream set.

A new study jointly conducted by Ipsos Mendelsohn and MediaVest finds that 19% of Americans rate their lives as “excellent” today and 33% say they will be “excellent” in five years. Americans also seem to be nicely aware of the realities of disparity: those Americans who say their lives are excellent now are the only group who think it will be even better in a few years. Those who were less optimistic, including those who saw their situation as "good," all said things will be worse for them in five years.

Based on an online survey of 1,033 adult Americans in October last year, the results were weighted to reflect the U.S. population according to U.S. Census data, per the firm. It was offered in English and Spanish, with a Hispanic-focused panel comprising less-acculturated and Spanish-dominant Hispanics.

Ipsos-Mendelsohn said the study, "Optimism in America," included structured and open-ended questions designed so that participants could express opinions in their own words. It correlated responses by subject with scores correlating to a  4-point academic-type grade. For instance, when it comes to family issues and offspring, parents were sanguine, with responses garnering a 3.2 G.P.A. Optimism surrounding one's own prospects came in at 2.7, with issues related to career and personal financial prospects scoring 2.1 because of Americans' feelings of having limited control over their own destiny.

And Americans have a low opinion of America's role and status in the world, with optimism about that earning a G.P.A. of 1.5. Where Americans seem most optimistic is with regard to the idea of their capacity to achieve the American dream. Sixty percent said they are already living it, or are confident they will live it someday.

About three-quarters averred that the American dream is still alive for themselves, their family, and their neighbors. However, 80% said the American dream has become harder to achieve recently, which has forced a reevaluation of the goals each person has for their own lives and those for their families, per the study.

Respondents said family and personal goals rate more importantly than financial, spiritual, or career goals, and roughly 60% have “...focused more on just getting by financially” or have “...seriously reevaluated what my life will be like in the near  future."  Fifty percent of respondents said they have "put a lot of dreams on hold” or “...had to lower expectations about what my life will be like." Seventy-eight percent were optimistic that they could achieve the lowered expectations.