Roosevelt Institute Launches Good Life Agenda to Lower Costs, Raise Incomes, and Give Americans More Control Over Their Time

New York, NY—Today, the Roosevelt Institute, a think tank and professional network working to balance power in the economy and democracy, released The Good Life Agenda, a policy blueprint for addressing runaway costs, raising incomes, and giving people more time and agency over their lives. The agenda includes policy solutions on housing, healthcare, childcare, higher education, energy, wages, worker power, Social Security, retirement security, scheduling, paid leave, and other policies that give people more control over their time.

Released alongside new national polling from Impact Research, the agenda responds to a central tension in our politics: Americans hold government responsible for improving their lives but have little confidence that it will deliver. The survey of 1,000 people, conducted May 12–18, 2026, shows Americans are looking for public action that can deliver security, freedom, and more time for themselves and the people they love.

Elizabeth Wilkins, president and CEO of the Roosevelt Institute and coauthor of The Good Life Agenda, said:

“The Good Life Agenda starts from a simple idea: Democracy has to deliver in people’s daily lives. That means lowering the costs that keep families on unstable ground, raising incomes, giving people more control over their time, and building policies people can see and feel. We have to show what it looks like for our government to deliver the building blocks of a good life, and to fight those with too much power to bring that life within reach.”

What makes up a Good Life?

The Good Life Agenda identifies the foundations people need to build good lives: affordable essentials, stable and rising incomes, and enough time for family, community, rest, and the things that give life meaning.

The financial strain facing American families isn’t abstract; it shows up in how people are actually living their lives. Nearly 8 in 10 people are worried about their personal finances, either their current situation or their ability to save for the future. Only 18 percent of people surveyed say they haven’t had to cut back or make financial trade-offs in the past two years. More than half lack the ability to retire comfortably, the single most out-of-reach item on the Good Life Agenda, while nearly half lack freedom from consumer debt, and 40 percent say they don’t earn enough to cover everyday costs and have a cushion for when something unexpected comes up.

These pressures are also a power problem. When asked what most gets in the way of government providing a good life, 50 percent of people surveyed cite politicians who look out for themselves instead of the people they represent, while 39 percent say the system is rigged in favor of corporations and the wealthy.

That is why the agenda also calls for reviving the governing tools and capacities our government needs to deliver. Building public power is necessary to make life’s essentials affordable, boost incomes throughout our lives, reclaim time for what matters, and rebuild trust that our government and democracy can improve people’s lives.

Here’s how these pillars work together. None is enough on its own. 

Pillar 1: Making life’s essentials affordable

Goal: We need tangible paths to make housing, healthcare costs, childcare, higher education, and energy more affordable for everyone. 

Why it matters: 40 percent of people surveyed say they do not earn enough to cover everyday costs and have a cushion for an unexpected expense. 

Pillar 2: Boosting incomes throughout our lives

Goal: Foster economic security and rising incomes throughout our lives through a fair labor market, increased worker power, a modernized Social Security program, and security in retirement.

Why it matters: Economic security must last throughout people’s lives, including when work is not possible. More than half of the people surveyed say they lack the ability to retire comfortably, and 45 percent of people surveyed ages 18–34 are not currently saving for retirement because they are not in a financial position to do so.

Pillar 3: Reclaiming time for what matters

Goal: Give people more control over their time through better care options, shorter workweeks, and fewer burdens that waste people’s time.

Why it matters: A good life is about more than making ends meet. One-third of people surveyed say having enough time outside of work for family, rest, and their personal lives would make a major difference for them, including 38 percent of working-class people and 40 percent of people under 55.

Paul Krugman, senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, wrote in the report’s foreword:

“Economics is ultimately about people, and the purpose of economic policy should be to help people live good lives. This report lays out an agenda for reversing America’s slide into extreme inequality and oligarchy.”

The polling makes clear that the Good Life Agenda speaks to the frustration Americans feel and the future they want: 79 percent of people surveyed support the agenda, including 78 percent of those who self identify as disillusioned, a group defined in the poll as people who think that government hurts more than it helps, describe the agenda as bold, ambitious, long overdue, and good for workers. Importantly, three-quarters of people surveyed, including those disillusioned with government, say they’d be more likely to support a leader who backs the Good Life Agenda.