Ahead of November's congressional elections, young people in Texas are wavering between confidence and disappointment. And not everyone believes that politics can solve their problems.
Muhammad Bakshi is optimistic. “I believe that the American dream is absolutely realistic,” says the University of Texas at Dallas student. "If you can pursue your dream anywhere in the world, it's here."
Muhammad is studying finance. Together with Raya Abdelkalik, he leads a student organization that provides contacts with companies and deals with saving, investing and career planning. Both are convinced that their education will provide them with the foundation for a good life.
But not all young people in the USA are so confident about the future.
Logan Wetmore already has his degree in his pocket. He studied IT, but starting a career turned out to be difficult.
"I've been looking for about six months. I graduated last year. And I can't get a single interview," he tells a CBS television crew at a job fair near Dallas.
There is also a new uncertainty: artificial intelligence could change the very activities with which young academics have previously started their professional lives.
Brandon Jones has already achieved an important part of the American dream. The 40-year-old works as a teacher and football coach, his wife is a physiotherapist. They looked for a house for two years. At the beginning of September the time had finally come.
They bought a three-bedroom house with a garden in Garland, a leafy suburb of Dallas. They saved for a long time for this. Above all, they wanted to give their little daughter a secure future.
"If one day we're gone, we can leave the house to our daughter," says Brandon. But even for well-educated people with decent incomes, this dream is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve.
Cody Alonso is 36 years old and is expecting his first child with his wife. They already own a small house. But things are getting tight with the offspring. That's why they're looking for something bigger, preferably in their familiar neighborhood and close to good schools. But real estate prices are high. It's not enough for the classic family house with two children's rooms.
Cody thinks they did everything right. "I have a bachelor's degree in hotel management, my wife has a master's degree in finance and accounting."
“Housing costs have risen much faster than incomes,” says Cullum Clark. The economist is a professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and works at the George W. Bush Institute. For years, Clark has been intensively concerned with economic advancement opportunities in the USA, the housing market and the question of how the American dream is changing. His insight: "Even for well-educated Americans, buying a home has become much more difficult."
Dallas is an economically successful region. Numerous companies have settled here, jobs have been created, and more and more people have moved here.
This is precisely what has driven up real estate prices. Many newcomers came from California or other expensive regions of the USA. Those who sold their houses there often moved to Texas with a lot of money, explains Clark. “These people could easily outbid the local buyers.”
And the problem extends far beyond the real estate market. According to Clark, housing, education, child care and health care are eating up an ever larger share of income.
Different life situations, but similar questions before the congressional elections in November: So what can politicians do to make performance pay off again? And who do young Americans trust to take their economic concerns seriously?
Cody has largely lost trust in the two major parties. He believes that politicians think primarily about themselves and companies. Whether Republican or Democrat makes little difference to him.
"Both sides don't care about us at all. We have to take care of ourselves," he says.
He is not alone with this attitude. According to a representative Ipsos poll, 76 percent of Americans believe that the influence of large campaign donors makes it more difficult for ordinary citizens to be heard by political decision-makers. Supporters of both major parties share this concern.
Cody therefore does not want to vote for either of the two major parties but for a candidate from the Libertarian Party. Brandon, on the other hand, prefers to keep his political opinions to himself. He fears that a public statement could harm his career.
Muhammad and Raya, the two optimistic students, also do not comment on which party they support. They don't believe that they can achieve much with their voice anyway.
The cost of living is an important election issue. Both parties promise remedy. But Clark is skeptical: Nobody has yet found the “magic key” to make life more affordable again.
Among those under 30, the Democrats are currently well ahead of the Republicans in the polls. But it is not yet clear how many young people will actually vote.
Muhammad and Raya rely primarily on themselves anyway: "As long as we work hard for it, the goal is closer than we think," says Raya.
So the American dream lives on - at least for those who still firmly believe in it. Whether young Americans take their hopes and frustrations to the ballot box in November could be crucial to the outcome of the congressional elections.
