Americans Think the Rich Are Smarter, But Greedier

united states currency eye- IMG_7364_web (Photo credit: kevindean)

 The Presidential campaign has given us two opposing stereotypes of the wealthy –  neither of which reflects the actual views of most American voters.

Republicans say that the rich are hard-working job creators who are admired – and even saluted – by their fellow Americans. They say Americans don’t want to tax success and engage in wealth spreading.

Democrats say the rich didn’t make it on their own, and can be heartless and uncharitable. They say Americans want the rich to pay their fair share and want to shrink the growing wealth gap.

A new poll on wealth from Pew Research, however, reveals that this black-and-white view of the rich doesn’t reflect the shades of gray with which most Americans view the rich.

The Pew poll finds that more 80 percent of self-described middle- and lower-class Americans say they admire people who get rich by working hard. Four in ten Americans say the wealthy are more likely to be intelligent (that compares to 8 percent who say they are less likely to be intelligent). (Read more: Did the 'Lost' Middle Class Get Rich?)

At the same time, 55 percent say the wealthy are more greedy and 34 percent say the wealthy are less likely to be honest (compared to 12 percent who say they are more honest). ... Continue to read.

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