Final answer:
1) wealth
The criterion often used to measure success in North American society is wealth. Despite the belief in the American Dream and the potential for structural mobility, systemic barriers can restrict social mobility. While education may contribute to success, it is not universally sought or obtained.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most commonly used criterion to measure success in North American society is typically wealth. This criterion reflects the standard of living, which involves the level of wealth available to people to acquire material goods and comforts to maintain a specific lifestyle. While other factors like getting a college degree, social acceptance, and organizational membership can influence perceptions of success, wealth often serves as a consistent and visible measure of one's socioeconomic status.
Status consistency relates to how an individual's rank across various social categories, such as wealth, power, and prestige, remains the same or changes. For instance, someone with a high level of educational attainment but lower wealth might experience status inconsistency.
Consequently, while some individuals may prioritize education or social connections to measure success, the prevailing measure remains financially oriented. This notion is further influenced by the belief in the American Dream, which suggests that success is obtainable through hard work and determination, regardless of one's social standing, and emphasizes the potential for structural mobility, allowing groups to move up the class ladder.
Lastly, it's important to recognize that despite the emphasis on equality and meritocracy, there are significant systemic obstacles, including inherited wealth and institutional biases, that can limit an individual's ability to achieve social mobility. Additionally, although college education is often associated with improved material well-being, it is not a practical or preferred path for everyone, as evidenced by the statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicating that a significant percentage of the US population does not pursue higher education degrees.