AMERICAN VALUES: What small town America is saying about the American Dream, 'getting too hard'

NOEL, Mo. – The American Dream might look different than it used to, but it is still alive, according to some people living in the middle of the country. But others said it's dead and buried. 

"The American dream is there," Nate told Fox News. "It's just people gotta put the right foot forward, make the right decisions."

"You go to school, you get an education, you find a job, right? You get married, raise kids, get involved with the communities, and hopefully they live a good life," he added. 

But Don disagreed.

"It was the American Dream to come here and make yourself. And that's just kind of gone," he said. "It's getting too hard."

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A growing number of people believe the American Dream, which promises that anyone can achieve success and a happy life with enough hard work and determination, is becoming an old folktale. Only 27% of respondents in a January ABC News/Ipsos poll said the American Dream still holds true, compared to 50% who believed so when the question was first asked in 2010. 

"I think it's struggling," Theresa said of the American Dream. "People want what their parents had, and there's just not the possibility of what your parents had, because this isn't the same economy."

"People can't afford anything," Theresa's sister Jimmy chimed in. "They can't afford to buy a house. They can't afford to rent a house."

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A March survey by the Harris Poll Thought Leadership and Future Practice found 84% of Americans would rather own real estate over renting, but 61% of renters said they're worried they'll never become homeowners. 

However, many residents in Noel, Missouri, a small town in the Ozarks with a population under 2,000, said they still think the American Dream is attainable, it just may look different. 

"It's alive. It's harder to reach, but it's alive," Noel Mayor Terry Lance told Fox News. "But it could be made easier to reach too. We just need to elect the right people."

Residents in a small Missouri town were split over whether they thought the American Dream still existed. (Teny Sahakian)

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"We all have our American dream, because even though we live here, we all have different dreams," Manuel said. "I think as long as we set our minds and goals, we should be fine. There's still a lot of opportunities."

Jesus said the landscape is very different from when he grew up, but success is still possible.

"Now there's a lot of things you can do smarter to make a living, but you just gotta want to do it," he said. "You have to put your hard work in."