---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even more surprising, 42 percent of…"
description: "\"“Even more surprising, 42 percent of working-class whites - by far the highest number in the survey - report that their lives are less economically suc..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/j-d-vance-3503_parenting_even-more-surprising-42-percent-of-worki_2485951.jpg"
---

#  Even more surprising, 42 percent of working-class whites…

![“Even more surprising, 42 percent of working-class whites - by far the highest number in the survey - report that their lives are less economically successful than those of their parents'.” quote by J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/j-d-vance-3503_parenting_even-more-surprising-42-percent-of-worki_2485951.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/j-d-vance-3503_parenting_even-more-surprising-42-percent-of-worki_2485951.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/j-d-vance-3503_parenting_even-more-surprising-42-percent-of-worki_2485951.jpg)

> ““Even more surprising, 42 percent of working-class whites - by far the highest number in the survey - report that their lives are less economically successful than those of their parents'.””

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Working‑class whites report lower economic success than their parents, a surprising trend.

**In simple terms:** Many are less successful than previous generation.

Key Takeaway

Address systemic barriers to upward mobility.

Themes

economics social mobility generational change

Mood

analytical concerned

Type

report observation

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- career counseling
- financial planning
- education reform

Key Concepts

class disparity economic stagnation

Questions to Reflect On

- Why is upward mobility declining?
- What interventions could reverse this trend?

A Different Perspective

Data may not capture all factors.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[42 Percent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/42-percent-915274/) [Class Whites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class-whites-915277/) [Economically Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economically-successful-726561/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Successful Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-parents-915278/) [Working class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/)

## Related quotes

> [“There is no group of Americans more pessimistic than working-class whites. Well over half of blacks, Latinos, and college-educated whites expect that their children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/there-is-no-group-of-americans-more-pessimistic-than-working-class/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [Most middle-class whites have no idea what it feels like to be subjected to police who are routinely suspicious, rude, belligerent, and brutal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/most-middle-class-whites-have-no-idea-what-it-feels-like-to-be/)

[Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/)

> [I think in American culture, we put value on economic success but tell people you don't have to be economically successful to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-think-in-american-culture-we-put-value-on-economic-success-but-tell/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [“in order for the MVP to be considered successful, parents and kids would have to each use the application four times per week.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/in-order-for-the-mvp-to-be-considered-successful-parents-and-kids/)

[Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/)

> [One of the reasons that millionaires are economically successful is that they think differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-stanley/one-of-the-reasons-that-millionaires-are-economically-successful-is/)

[Thomas J. Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-stanley/)

> [Achieving a balance between career and children doesn't necessarily mean the time is split evenly. Successful parents understand there will be times when their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-morin/achieving-a-balance-between-career-and-children-doesn-t-necessarily/)

[Amy Morin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-morin/)

> [I guess that's one of the things about growing up in the fifties - it never occurred to me that you wouldn't be at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/i-guess-that-s-one-of-the-things-about-growing-up-in-the-fifties-it/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“One simple answer is that there has been a massive rise in the incidence of sanctimony and smugness among the successful that has nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-barry/one-simple-answer-is-that-there-has-been-a-massive-rise-in-the/)

[Brian Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-barry/)

> [Bankruptcies will be up 18 to 42 percent around racinos areas tracks as people lose their money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/bankruptcies-will-be-up-18-to-42-percent-around-racinos-areas-tracks/)

[John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/)

> [Bankruptcies increase 18 percent to 42 percent above the national average](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/bankruptcies-increase-18-percent-to-42-percent-above-the-national/)

[John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/)

> [America is an incredibly polarized country politically. I think ANY Republican would start out with 42 percent of the vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/america-is-an-incredibly-polarized-country-politically-i-think-any/)

[Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/)

> [“Eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day reduces your risk of death by 42 percent”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/eating-seven-or-more-portions-of-fruit-and-vegetables-a-day-reduces/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“However you want to define these two groups and their approach to giving—rich and poor; educated and uneducated; upper-class and working-class—their members increasingly occupy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/however-you-want-to-define-these-two-groups-and-their-approach-to/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“Not all of the white working class struggles. I knew even as a child that there were two separate sets of mores and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/not-all-of-the-white-working-class-struggles-i-knew-even-as-a-child/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“was my first indication that the policies of Mamaw’s “party of the working man”—the Democrats—weren’t all they were cracked up to be. Political scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/was-my-first-indication-that-the-policies-of-mamaw-s-party-of-the/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

## More by J.D. Vance

> [“Wed don't need to live like the elites of California, New York, or Washington, D.C. We don't need to work a hundred hours a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/wed-don-t-need-to-live-like-the-elites-of-california-new-york-or/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“Within two generations, the transplanted hillbillies had largely caught up to the native population in terms of income and poverty level.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/within-two-generations-the-transplanted-hillbillies-had-largely/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“Powerful people sometimes do things to help people like me without really understanding people like me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/powerful-people-sometimes-do-things-to-help-people-like-me-without/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“Research does reveal a genetic disposition to substance abuse, but those who believe their addiction is a disease show less of an inclination to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/research-does-reveal-a-genetic-disposition-to-substance-abuse-but/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“But I often wonder: Where would I be without them? I think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/but-i-often-wonder-where-would-i-be-without-them-i-think/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“the first impulse is escape, but people who lurch toward the exit rarely choose the right door.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/the-first-impulse-is-escape-but-people-who-lurch-toward-the-exit/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“was my first indication that the policies of Mamaw’s “party of the working man”—the Democrats—weren’t all they were cracked up to be. Political scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/was-my-first-indication-that-the-policies-of-mamaw-s-party-of-the/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“A young man was sitting at home when a terrible rainstorm began. Within hours, the man’s house began to flood, and someone came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/a-young-man-was-sitting-at-home-when-a-terrible-rainstorm-began/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“As a culture, we had no heroes. Certainly not any politician--Barack Obama was then the most admired man in America (and likely still is),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/as-a-culture-we-had-no-heroes-certainly-not-any-politician-barack/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“To this day, being able to “take advantage” of someone is the measure in my mind of having a parent. For me and Lindsay,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/to-this-day-being-able-to-take-advantage-of-someone-is-the-measure-in/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“As one book, Appalachian Odyssey, notes about the influx of hill people to Detroit: “It was not simply that the Appalachian migrants, as rural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/as-one-book-appalachian-odyssey-notes-about-the-influx-of-hill-people/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“As a 2011 Brookings Institution study found, “compared to 2000, residents of extreme-poverty neighborhoods in 2005–09 were more likely to be white, native-born, high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/as-a-2011-brookings-institution-study-found-compared-to-2000/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“There was, and still is, a sense that those who make it are of two varieties. The first are lucky: They come from wealthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/there-was-and-still-is-a-sense-that-those-who-make-it-are-of-two/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“We spend to pretend that we’re upper-class. And when the dust clears—when bankruptcy hits or a family member bails us out of our stupidity—there’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/we-spend-to-pretend-that-we-re-upper-class-and-when-the-dust-clears/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Chaos begets chaos. Instability begets instability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/out-of-the-frying-pan-and-into-the-fire-chaos-begets-chaos/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

[Explore all 127 J.D. Vance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

## More Parenting quotes

> [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/)

[Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/)

> [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/)

[Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/)

> [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/)

[Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“As members of the Church, there are things you cannot do. For one, you cannot take a Las Vegas-style vacation. I do not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-grant-bangerter/as-members-of-the-church-there-are-things-you-cannot-do-for-one-you/)

[William Grant Bangerter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-grant-bangerter/)

> [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/)

[Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/)

> [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/)

[Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [My parents were not musical, and they were not effervescent people; everything was very quiet. The music that I played was loud; it used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mclean/my-parents-were-not-musical-and-they-were-not-effervescent-people/)

[Don McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mclean/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/)

[Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/)

> [“My father called twice and left a voicemail—who does that?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-erickson/my-father-called-twice-and-left-a-voicemail-who-does-that/)

[Megan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-erickson/)

> [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/)

[Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/)

[Browse all 55,672 Parenting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Even more surprising, 42 percent of working-class whites - by far the highest number in the survey - report that their lives are less economically successful than those of their parents'.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "J.D. Vance"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/even-more-surprising-42-percent-of-working-class-whites-by-far-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Parenting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/even-more-surprising-42-percent-of-working-class-whites-by-far-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/j-d-vance-3503_parenting_even-more-surprising-42-percent-of-worki_2485951.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/j-d-vance-3503_parenting_even-more-surprising-42-percent-of-worki_2485951.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/j-d-vance-3503_parenting_even-more-surprising-42-percent-of-worki_2485951.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Even more surprising, 42 percent of working-class whites - by far the highest number in the survey - report…” — J.D. Vance",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "J.D. Vance",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Even more surprising, 42 percent of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/even-more-surprising-42-percent-of-working-class-whites-by-far-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/even-more-surprising-42-percent-of-working-class-whites-by-far-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
