Whether out of necessity or because, in truth, people seek a different quality of life, the “American dream” continues to prevail today.
Mexico and, in general, all of Central America is a region of contrasts, extremely rich in culture, but which, economically, has suffered throughout its history.
According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the rate of extreme poverty in the region registered an increase of 13.8 percent in 2021, going from 81 to 86 million people in conditions of extreme poverty.
“Despite the economic recovery experienced in 2021, the estimated relative and absolute levels of poverty and extreme poverty have remained above those recorded in 2019, reflecting the continuation of the social crisis,” said the Executive Secretary of the ECLAC, Alicia Barcena.
In this context, according to data from the World Inequality Report 2022, Mexico is one of the 20 riches in the world, but it is also one of the most unequal economies, since, according to what said report explains, only 10 percent of Mexicans concentrate 79 percent of the total wealth, while 50 percent of Mexicans continue their daily fight against poverty.
Poverty is one of the reasons why, historically, the number of the population that goes to the United States in search of the “American dream” has grown, although this varies depending on each person; however, there is still a belief that, once crossing the Rio Grande, a life of success awaits.
By 2020, the year the pandemic arrived, in the United States there were already some 60 million people of Hispanic or Latino origin living in the region, this according to information from the United States Census Bureau.
And it is that, through a survey conducted by the Axios news website together with the Ipsos consultancythe majority of Latinos living in the United States say that the country governed by Joe Biden offers more and better opportunities for those who want to achieve the “American dream.”
However, 42 percent of those surveyed also reported that, during their stay in the country of the stars and stripes, they had experienced racist comments.
Said survey was conducted among a total of one thousand five Latinos/Hispanics of legal age, of which 57 percent say they feel they belong to the United States, while 52 percent say they are optimistic about the future of the nation.