Young People Change What the American Dream Means
Students today want different things than their parents and grandparents did.
The American dream used to mean the same thing to most people. It meant going to college, getting married, buying a house, and having children. People worked hard to reach these goals because they thought this would make them happy.
Today, young people are changing what the American dream means. A new study found that different age groups want different things from life. Younger people care more about freedom and having good experiences than about owning things.
The study asked 5,000 people from different generations about their goals. Baby boomers are people born between 1946 and 1964. Generation X includes people born between 1965 and 1980. Millennials were born between 1981 and 1996. Generation Z includes people born after 1997.
Baby boomers care most about having enough money to retire. About 71% of them said this was their biggest goal. But younger people think differently about success. Half of millennials and Gen Z people said personal freedom was most important to them.
The American dream shouldn't be something that's designed by somebody else.
Comprehension quiz preview
1. What percentage of baby boomers said retiring comfortably was their top goal?
2. How many people did the study ask about the American dream?
3. Where does Paige Friscioni live?