Causes of The Decline of The American Middle Class

As our most recent election showed us, most Americans are displeased with the country they live in. This is probably related to the fact that fewer and fewer Americans can consider themselves “middle class.” And with the decline of America’s once-prized middle class has come a decline in once-prized democracy. The American middle class has been falling, in all aspects, since the late 1960’s, and continues to fall today. The decline of the American middle class has led to not only economic struggle, but has constrained the presence of true democracy in America.

In his essay “Terra Firma,” Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa describes his journey from a migrant farm worker to a respected neurosurgeon. Somewhere during that transition, Quiñones-Hinojosa worked as “a welder and pressure valve specialist for a railroad company” (Quiñones-Hinojosa). If this essay was written say 60 years ago, Quiñones-Hinojosa probably would’ve stopped his journey to success at that railroad company. During the first half of the 20th century, industry and production jobs were far more desired than they are today. Positions such as welders or valve specialists once involved respectable incomes. But as of today, people holding these positions are often just scraping by. Quiñones-Hinojosa didn’t stop at the railroad position; in fact he writes about fearing for access to proper healthcare while working that job. The descent of the American middle class can be attributed to a long list of factors, but the most important of these is a disconnection between average incomes amongst classes. As highlighted by workers such as welders, positions once considered “adequate” are barely that. Since the 1960’s, America as a whole has experienced a general income raise. Viewing only that statement, one would think that all types of American families would benefit. Unfortunately, as Marilyn Geewax of NPR puts it in her article “The Tipping Point: Most Americans No Longer Are Middle Class,” “Upper-class Americans have seen their incomes rise 47 percent, while middle and lower-class families have gained only 28 percent” (Geewax). Combined with inflation, this median income is simply not adequate to sustain the lifestyle it once did. And the death of the middle class is occurring rapidly- while 61% of Americans considered themselves middle class in 1971, only 50% can as of 2015 (Byrne). As such, middle-class workers and families have been slowly but surely disproportionately forced into less comfortable and generally harder lives.

The causes of this median decline are notable, and so are its effects. Most wouldn’t expect one effect of America’s lost middle class- the decline of democracy. Since the inception of democracy, dating back to Aristotle, a middle class has been the core of democratic success. Democracy is dependant on various opinions, formed as a result of various backgrounds. Although the presence of both upper and lower classes is important, the middle class holds the most weight. A democratic middle class is generally representative of cultural medians- average exposure to education, global cultures, and political workings. Without this middle class, the educated upper class and uneducated lower classes fight over power within the democratic government. As more and more Americans consider themselves low income, this vital American center is lost. Our most basic, and publicized, form of political participation is voting in the presidential election. Even for citizens who do not vote in local or state elections, there is a social expectation to vote in the quadrennial national election. In 1964, a moderately successful 61% of the voting age population- American citizens over the age of 18- voted in the presidential election. Since, then voter turnout in elections of all forms has been generally decreased. Voter turnout even fell as low as 49% in 1994- that’s 12% lost in 30 years (Peters and Woolley). As Americans become economically polarized, more people are pushed into either notable wealth or into notable economic struggle, leaving less average citizens to participate in America’s government.

Unfortunately, the death of America’s middle class is much more than just an economic issue. Edward Luce puts it succinctly in his book “Time to Start Thinking - America in the age of Descent”- “There was a time, until relatively recently, when belonging to the American middle class brought with it a basic level of security. Many of those have gone or continue to erode” (Luce). Unfortunately, along with those times of economic stability has gone the cultural median required for a successful democracy. If our middle class does not regain its size and power, America as we know it may never be the same.