DUB x YOUGOV
America’s Search for Stability
INTRODUCTION
The Great Wealth Divide
America’s financial outlook is at a crossroads.
A new national survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, reveals deep concerns about rising costs, stagnant financial progress, and uncertainty about the future of work and investing. While Americans broadly demand more economic relief from policymakers, they remain divided on issues like clean energy, oil and gas drilling, and the role of artificial intelligence.
The findings paint a picture of a country eager for stability but struggling to navigate shifting financial, technological, and political landscapes.
Economic Unease
Americans Brace for a Tough Year Ahead
Despite recent growth headlines, 64% of Americans say their financial situation has not improved in the past year, and only 39% expect it to get better next year. More than half (53%) say high inflation makes them less likely to make major purchases like homes or cars. Tariffs add to anxiety: 74% expect everyday prices to rise due to tariffs, fueling concerns about affordability in groceries, fuel, and essentials.
Political Priorities
Relief Over Deficit Reduction
Americans are clear about what they want from Washington: 74% want politicians to prioritize providing economic relief over reducing the national deficit (26%). The message is bipartisan but divided, while 86% of Democrats demand relief, 41% of Republicans still prefer deficit reduction. This sets the stage for heated debates as policymakers weigh short-term relief against long-term fiscal health.
A Growing Concern
The Wealth Divide
Anger over inequality is widespread.
Fully 71% agree the wealth gap in America is growing, and 73% say billionaires are getting richer at the expense of everyone else. These numbers underscore a shared frustration across demographics: Americans believe that economic opportunity is increasingly tilted toward the ultra-wealthy while leaving average families behind.
Distrust in Elites
Political Privilege
Distrust in Washington runs just as deep. Only 2% of people believe politicians don’t take advantage of their power by using inside information from their jobs to profit in the stock market. Additionally, a majority (73%) of those surveyed agree politicians have an unfair advantage, and 74% support banning members of Congress from buying or selling individual stocks while in office. The consensus underscores a broad perception that elected officials are playing by different rules, leveraging insider access while ordinary Americans struggle to get ahead.
Energy Trade-Offs
Pocketbooks vs. Policy
When asked to choose between lower gas prices (59%) and progress toward clean energy (41%), Americans lean toward immediate savings. At the same time, views on expanding oil and gas drilling are split: 45% support drilling, while 28% oppose. The divides are sharp by party and age: younger Americans and Democrats lean toward clean energy, while older groups and Republicans prioritize cheaper fuel and drilling expansion.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
AI: Opportunity, Fear, and Low Trust
Artificial Intelligence looms large over America’s future. 35% see AI as positive for healthcare and 22% for investing, but 37% expect it to negatively impact their income. Job security fears are significant: 30% of workers believe it’s at least somewhat likely they’ll lose their job to AI within five years, with younger workers most concerned. Trust is limited, just 12% strongly trust AI for financial advice, and 49% reject AI as a form of social companionship.
INVESTING UNCERTAINTY
Hesitant and Divided
Confidence in the stock market is shaky. Less than half (47%) of Americans are invested in the market at all - whether that is an individual stock, a stock mutual fund, or in a self-directed 401(k) or IRA - and just 18% say now is a better time to invest compared to a year ago, while 27% believe it’s worse. On crypto, the skepticism is stronger: 27% believe cryptocurrency will harm the U.S. financial system in the next five years, compared to just 15% who see it as a positive force. These numbers suggest Americans are leaning more toward caution than optimism when it comes to wealth-building.
Cash Is King
Short-Term Relief Over Long-Term Growth
When offered a hypothetical $2,500 benefit, 67% of Americans say they’d prefer cash in hand over an investment account. Younger adults (18–29) buck the trend, with 56% choosing to invest instead. This generational divide underscores the tension between short-term relief and long-term wealth-building, a theme that runs throughout the broader survey.
SUMMARY
What It Means: A Nation Seeking Stability in Uncertain Times
The survey reveals a country pulled between short-term relief and long-term resilience. Americans overwhelmingly want policymakers to ease immediate financial pressures, through relief, lower gas prices, and cash in hand, while expressing deep frustration with inequality and political privilege.
At the same time, skepticism about investing, crypto, and AI underscores how little confidence Americans have in untested or volatile paths to wealth. The message is clear: people want stability, fairness, and accountability as they navigate an economy reshaped by inflation, energy trade-offs, and technological disruption.
from steven wang
Thoughts From dub’s Founder
America stands at a crossroads. The stock market may hit record highs, but families feel weighed down by rising costs, stagnant progress, and a future clouded with uncertainty. The gap between headlines and lived experience has never been wider, and it cuts across every party, age, and region.
This is more than data. It’s a warning: a divided, distracted, and distrustful nation cannot meet the challenges ahead. From political violence to global conflict, from AI to clean energy, the stakes are real. So too is the opportunity.
America’s promise has always been that ordinary people could share in extraordinary progress. It was this belief that made us the most innovative, prosperous nation on earth. But today, too many feel locked out of that promise. Half of Americans do not own a single share of stock. Most believe wealth is concentrated at the top. Many fear the immense wealth created from the innovations of tomorrow will leave them behind.
At dub, we believe the opposite must be true. With as little as $100, every American should be able to follow proven investors, grow their wealth, and secure their family’s future. Money is more than currency, it is dignity, security, and opportunity. By making sophisticated investing simple and accessible, we can not only expand prosperity, but also renew trust in one another.
That is the mission of dub. And it is part of the unfinished work of America.
METHODOLOGY
YouGov conducted an online survey in the United States in collaboration with dub from September 3 to September 8, 2025. To ensure a balanced sample, YouGov initially interviewed 2,168 people and used sample matching to select 2,000 respondents who best represented the United States. The sample was matched and weighted using various U.S. Census and election data, including the American Community Survey (ACS) public use microdata file, the 2020 Current Population Survey, the 2020 National Election Pool (NEP) exit poll, and the 2020 CES surveys, among others, aligning the sample along key demographics features of age, gender, education, race, region, and voting behavior. These adjustments are intended to make the sample reflect the national population. The survey’s margin of error is ±2.46 percentage point with 95 percent confidence.