????5、國民貧困率

????美國排名：162個國家之中第36位，落后于摩洛哥和阿爾巴尼亞

????美國勞工部人口普查局最新公布數據顯示，據官方統計，14.5%的美國國民生活在貧困線以下，即全國共有4530萬貧困國民。這一貧困人口比例比摩洛哥和阿爾巴尼亞都高（但不同國家對貧困的定義千差萬別）。報告作者稱，經生活費用自動調整后數據顯示，領取社會保障金的貧窮美國老年國民人數有所減少。50年前，每三名美國老年人之中就有一人領取社會保障福利。如今每十人里才有一位老者是貧民。非裔美國人的貧困率也在下降。今天，美國的貧窮國民更多見于適齡勞動者之中。在貧困家庭里，單親媽媽的比例最高。

????6、兒童貧困率

????美國排名：35個調查國家之中第34位

????聯合國兒童基金會將貧困水平與各國社會平均財富水平比較的結果顯示，美國的兒童貧困率排名墊底，而美國人平均的財富是羅馬尼亞人的六倍。歐洲、加拿大、澳大利亞、新西蘭與日本的兒童貧困形勢比美國好得多。

????7、貧富差距

????美國排名：貧富差距全球第四高

????報告作者認為，智利、墨西哥、土耳其以及美國的貧富懸殊最大。他們援引了常見的貧富差距指標基尼系數，還引用了《華爾街日報》與全球最大人力資源管理咨詢機構美世咨詢公司的數據。作者們認為，貧富差距使經濟增速放慢，妨礙年輕人獲得發展機會，最終威脅國家的未來（一段經合組織的視頻對此做了解釋）。貧富不均的形勢惡化也體現在企業首席執行官的平均收入與普通員工的平均收入之比上。1965年，美國的首席執行官平均收入是員工的24倍，2005年猛增至262倍。

????8、獄囚人數

????美國排名：224個國家之中第一位

????報告作者寫道，入獄服刑的美國國民有220多萬人，只有中國的囚犯人數和美國比較接近，中國約有166萬名囚犯。

????9、生活滿意度

????美國排名：36個國家之中第17位

????報告作者根據經合組織的美好生活指數衡量，美國國民的幸福程度只位居中游。該指數衡量國民對生活的整體幸福感，并非展示他們現時的感受。聯合國的一項類似研究發現，新西蘭、芬蘭和以色列的國民生活滿意度都比美國的高。

????10、腐敗度

????美國排名：175個國家之中第17位

????從國民對政府腐敗的風評判斷，巴巴多斯和盧森堡的政府比美國廉潔。報告作者提到，據總部位于柏林的非盈利組織透明國際調查，美國國民認為本國政府“有些腐敗”。對美國公民的一項獨立調查顯示，很多受訪美國人都認為，政客沒有為大多數人的利益服務，而是偏向于企業的游說團體和超級巨富。報告作者稱：“特殊利益團體逐漸把美國改造為寡頭統治的國家，那樣的國家只關心富人的需求。”

????11、社會穩定度

????美國排名：178個國家之中第20位

????美國雜志《外交政策》公布的脆弱國家指數是衡量貧富差距、腐敗和黨派之爭等多種因素的指標。該指數顯示，美國的排名落后與葡萄牙、斯洛文尼亞和冰島。

????12、社會進步指數

????美國排名：133個國家之中第16位

????大范圍衡量社會福祉的指標——社會進步指數——囊括了可獲得清潔的水源與空氣、可接受高等教育、具備基礎知識、有安全感等52個經濟指標。據該指數評估，愛爾蘭、英國、冰島、加拿大等國都比美國表現出色。

????弗雷德曼說：“若要讓美國重現雄風，我們就要著手解決一些問題。”（財富中文網）

????譯者: Pessy

????校對：詹妮

????5. People living below the poverty line

????Rank of U.S.: 36th out of 162 countries, behind Morocco and Albania

????Officially, 14.5% of Americans are impoverished — 45.3 million people–according to the latest US Census data. That’s a larger fraction of the population in poverty than Morocco and Albania (though how nations define poverty varies considerably). The elderly have Social Security, with its automatic cost-of-living adjustments, to thank, the authors say, for doing better: Few seniors (one in 10) are poor today versus 50 years ago (when it was one in three). Poverty is also down among African Americans. Now America’s poor are more often in their prime working years, or in households headed by single mothers.

????6. Children in poverty

????Rank of U.S.: 34th out of 35 countries surveyed

????When UNICEF relative poverty – relative to the average in each society—the US ranked at the bottom, above only Romania, even as Americans are, on average, six times richer than Romanians. Children in all of Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan fare better.

????7. Income inequality

????Rank of U.S.: Fourth highest inequality in the world.

????The authors argue that the most severe inequality can be found in Chile, Mexico, Turkey — and the US. Citing the Gini coefficient, a common inequality metric, and data from Wall Street Journal/Mercer Human Resource Consulting, they say this inequality slows economic growth, impedes youths’ opportunities, and ultimately threatens the nation’s future (an OECD video explains). Worsening income inequality is also evident in the ratio of average CEO earnings to average workers’ pay. That ratio went from 24:1 in 1965 to 262:1 in 2005.

????8. Prison population

????Rank of U.S.: First out of 224 countries

????More than 2.2 million Americans are in jail. Only China comes close, the authors write, with about 1.66 million.

????9. Life satisfaction

????Rank of U.S.: 17th out of 36 countries

????The authors note Americans’ happiness score is only middling, according to the OECD Better Life Index. (The index measures how people evaluate their life as a whole rather than their current feelings.) People in New Zealand, Finland, and Israel rate higher in life satisfaction. A UN report had a similar finding.

????10. Corruption

????Rank of U.S.: 17th out of 175 countries.

????Barbados and Luxembourg are ahead of the US when it comes to citizens’ perceptions of corruption. Americans view their country as “somewhat corrupt,” the authors note, according to Transparency International, a Berlin-based nonprofit. In a separate survey of American citizens, many said politicians don’t serve the majority’s interest, but are biased toward corporate lobbyists and the super-rich. “Special interest groups are gradually transforming the United States into an oligarchy,” the authors argue, “concerned only about the needs of the wealthy.”

????11. Stability

????Rank of U.S.: 20th out of 178 countries.

????The Fragile States Index considers factors such as inequality, corruption, and factionalism. The US lags behind Portugal, Slovenia and Iceland.

????12. Social progress index

????Rank of U.S.: 16th out of 133 countries

????A broad measure of social well-being, the index comprises 52 economic indicators such as access to clean water and air, access to advanced education, access to basic knowledge, and safety. Countries surpassing the US include Ireland, the UK, Iceland, and Canada.

????“If America’s going to be great again, we’ve got to start fixing things,” Friedman said.