????實際上，這項調查顯示，公眾對于富人的態度基本保持不變——認為富人的金錢源自家庭出身或各種關系的民眾人數與認為富人富裕的“主因是其自身努力、雄心壯志和所受教育”的民眾人數基本持平。美國民眾對于富人的不滿情緒并沒有出現抬頭的跡象；相反，認為美國存在非常嚴重或嚴重的貧富沖突的民眾人數增加了19個百分點。鑒于媒體對占領華爾街運動連篇累牘的報道，出現這樣的結果并不意外。

????實際上，皮尤研究中心為這項研究起的標題是：“公眾關心的并不是階級斗爭，而是階級公平。”那么，皮尤給出了什么樣的結論？雖然美國人聽到的涉及階級斗爭的信息增加了，但“美國人并沒有感到這個國家正處于階級抗爭的邊緣；他們只是希望獲得更好的機會，實現自身的成功。”

????眼下，媒體和政客在這個大選之年竭力鼓吹收入規模分化。在這個時候，這是一個值得銘記的結論。十九世紀，美國人致力于平等的決心給法國政治思想家托克維爾留下了非常深刻的印象。但他也非常震驚于美國人的另一個性格特征：“對財富的熱愛是所有美國人奮斗的起點。”就這一點而言，時代的變遷并沒有那么明顯。

????譯者：任文科

????In fact, the poll showed that public attitudes toward the wealthy remain largely unchanged -- with a near-even split between those who think the rich were born into money or connections and those who think people are rich "mainly because of their own hard work, ambition, or education." There hasn't been an increase in people's own grievances against the rich; rather, there was a 19-point increase in people saying they believe there are very strong or strong conflicts between rich and poor -- not a surprise given all the media attention to the OWS protests.

????Indeed, the headline Pew produced for its research reads "For the Public, It's Not About Class Warfare, but Fairness." Pew's conclusion? While Americans are hearing more about class conflict, "there is no sense that the American people are on the verge of class conflict; they just want a better chance of achieving success themselves."

????That's worth remembering as the media and politicians fuel divisions along the income scale this election year. In the 1800s, French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville was famously impressed by Americans' dedication to the idea of equality. But he was also struck by another character trait: "The love of wealth ... is at the bottom of all Americans do." On that score, times haven't changed all that much.