Our nation has gone through some of the biggest challenges in the past year: a global pandemic, a series of protests against police brutality and a controversial presidential election. Although many have fallen into a cycle of cynicism, the younger generations haven’t, and they aim to implement their visions in the world.
A recent survey conducted by Echelon Insights asked 2,002 members of Gen Z (ages 13-23) and 2,002 Millennials (ages 24-39) a broad range of questions “seeking to explore attitudes about opportunity, the American Dream, and key issues such as education, the environment and their communities.”
Despite what many expect, the results indicate that two-thirds of Millennials and Generation Zers believe that they will achieve the American Dream.
But how are we defining the American Dream?
According to the survey, the young generation view the American Dream as having the freedom and opportunity to build the life they dream of on their own terms.
One respondent explained: “I don’t think I envision the American Dream in the stereotypical light of ‘white picket fence, four-person family, financial success’ type of way, I think I view it more as America serving as an opportunity for people to better their lives, in a society where people are equal and all have the same access to resources.”
Top indicators of achieving the dream respectively are: freedom, financial well-being, family and career success.
But what makes the American Dream a reality for my generation?
Good education, indeed. The respondents of this survey identified education as a key basis on which someone can work hard and build that dream for themselves.
The survey found that two-thirds of young people believe that public schools in their community are extremely or very important for unlocking opportunity. But the survey emphasizes that young people do not view the current public K-12 education as a suitable means toward prosperity, either.
According to the results, less than half believe their K-12 education prepared them very well for good opportunities in life. Allen, 34, explained: “A Millennial stereotype I hear a lot is that we were babied in our childhood and went into adult life mostly unprepared. While I feel this is mostly untrue, I would say that having gone through the traditional education process, the education system did not properly prepare us for the workforce.”
Unfortunately, many old-school politicians from past generations believe that making empty promises such as “free” college is the solution to this problem. As an example, Joe Biden intends to “make public colleges and universities tuition-free for all families with incomes below $125,000.” This plan, if enacted, would cost $47 billion each year. Biden has remained silent on how he is going to pay for this plan.
He also fails to address the problem facing the quality of public education. Biden and many of his colleagues are inclined to hinder parents from making choices about their children’s education, forcing them back into the underperforming academic institutions that don’t meet their needs. Our K-12 public education system will continue to fail with status quo policies.
If our politicians wish to remain in power, they ought to gain the support of the youth by addressing the obstacles we face. We will not be better off with empty promises such as “free” college. Given the current economic situation during the pandemic, any tax hike to fund such policies would ultimately be detrimental for American families’ budgets.
Or, if the plan is to simply rely on debt to finance “free” education proposals, my generation will be left with a more hefty bill on top of the current national debt of $27 trillion. Additionally, since the budget to fund the institutions will be extremely limited, many students will no longer be able to enroll in the programs and schools they desire.Under the approach of politicians such as Biden, educational institutions won’t have the incentives to increase the quality of their services. Pupils and parents must have the authority to pick the educational programs that fit their future endeavors, budgets and needs. Like virtually everything else in life, educational institutions should have to compete to gain the interest by lowering their cost and enhancing their quality. This will give young people and parents maximum freedom of choice and in the long run improve the ability of educational systems to prepare young people for their futures and help them achieve the American Dream.
We Millennials and Generation Zers have proven that we are hardworking and adaptive to the challenges the world throws at us. We are optimistic that we’ll achieve a better life than our parents. However, we must make sure that we continue fighting for our American Dream. And we must cast our votes for those who understand our challenges and offer practical solutions, not false promises or more of the same.
Tahmineh Dehbozorgi is a columnist for the Southern California News Group. She is currently a contributor at Young Voices. You can follow her on Twitter @DeTahmineh.
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