Concern about growing economic inequality and the increasing gap between haves and have nots was a top worry for participants across all three methodologies. People feel the impacts of the stark economic divides that currently exist in the United States and stressed the importance of acting to close the wealth gap. Achieving a more equitable economic system would require that we provide access to opportunities for personally meaningful work that brings economic, as well as personal and social, benefits. Workers would receive a fair living wage and would be supported by a social safety net that protected them and their families in times of joblessness or underemployment or when they needed to step out of the workforce to care for a loved one. Residents understand the significant changes to the workforce and economy on the horizon with automation and other technological advances. They want an economic system that will prioritize human needs for meaningful work, a balanced life, and economic security alongside this shifting work landscape.

Read the report >>