Teens Say “Being Happy” is the American Dream, Not Being “Rich and Famous” or “Owning My Own Business” in New Poll

For Immediate Release

January 12, 2005

CONTACT:

Ed Grocholski
(703) 518-8606
press@jobshadow.org

Washington, DC (January 12, 2005)— According to a new poll from the Job Shadow Coalition and Harris Interactive, nearly half of teens surveyed (47%) defined the American Dream as “Simply Being Happy, No Matter What you Do,” far outpacing “Being Rich and/or Famous,” which was identified by one-in-five teens (20%) and “Owning My Own Business,” which was identified by only 7 percent of teens. The poll of 644 teens was conducted in December 2004 and has a margin of error of +/- 4%.

Responses to other definitions of the American Dream included:

  • “Having a House, Cars and Good Job” (38%);
  • “Being Able to Provide for My Family” (30%);
  • “Having the Career of My Dreams” (27%),
  • “Owning My Own Business” (7%), and
  • “Being the Boss” (5%).
  • About one-in-ten teens (11%) replied “Other” or “Not Sure.”

Overall, nearly three-in-four teens (71%) believe the American Dream is achievable today, with boys (75%) being slightly more optimistic than girls (68%). One-in-ten (10%) do not believe the American Dream is still achievable and nearly one-in-five (19%) are unsure. Nearly three-in-four (70%) believe higher education is essential to achieving the American Dream, while about one-in-six (16%) believe education “doesn’t matter.”

The poll was conducted in support of Job Shadow Day 2005. On February 2, 2005, more than one million young people will have a chance to explore their futures when they “shadow” workplace mentors as part of the eighth annual Groundhog Job Shadow Day initiative.

Job Shadow is a yearlong national effort to enrich the lives of students by acquainting them with the world of work through on-the-job experiences and a carefully crafted school curriculum that ties academics to the workplace.

National Job Shadow is a coordinated effort of America’s Promise, Junior Achievement, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor. ING is the national title sponsor of Job Shadow Day 2005. Nelnet and Valpak are co-sponsors.

Last year, more than one million of America’s youth were able to experience more than 100,000 workplaces throughout the nation. For additional information including a How-to Guide, brochure, and an online training presentation on how to coordinate Job Shadow ing, visit www.jobshadow.org. For more information contact info@jobshadow.org.

-30-