When Childhood Dreams Fade: How Do American 15- to 39-Year-Olds Think about Their Childhood Dreams?

Can our childhood dreams come true? Perhaps the better question is, What does it take to feel we have succeeded in making them come true, or at least that we are on the right track to achieving them?

Photo by Ümit Yıldırım on Unsplash.

As a child and young adult, I believed everyone in the US had a dream that, despite struggles, they would ultimately achieve. The happy endings of the dream factory’s creations, reinforced by personal experience, sustained the notion that America truly is the land of opportunity. Today, crisis has shifted from an exceptional circumstance to a defining condition of our lives, encompassing faith, family, and freedom—the cornerstones of Western societies—with young people at the center of it all. These young people are less and less understood by older generations and are increasingly uncertain about their own futures. Consequently, many now ask whether there are any segments of American life where the American dream still endures.

The Closer the Childhood, the Stronger the Satisfaction

International wellbeing research such as that of Happy Planet Index or World Happiness Report generally show a downward trend in satisfaction as well as significant generational differences. In a representative survey conducted last year by Cygnal, we examined whether the dreams of Americans aged 15 to 39 (roughly Generations Y—often called Millennials—and Z) had come true. The results paint a mixed picture, with respondents feeling they are about halfway between their childhood dreams and adult reality, and the average value on the five-point scale hovering around the middle, at three. A closer look shows that older respondents (aged 30–39) are more likely than younger ones to consider their childhood dreams fulfilled. When talking to young Americans, it is possible to detect remnants of their childhood dreams, but they have typically come to terms with their current situations.

When you're a kid, you often dream about being famous—you look up to actors, politicians, or anyone you see on TV. And for a moment, I thought that might be something I wanted too. It just seemed cool to be well-known. But as I got older, I realized that’s simply not the path I’m on, and I’m completely fine with that. Those childhood ideas come from looking up to the people you see in the media, but life takes you in different directions. (Jim, 30)

There are also those who have already forgotten they once had dreams about their adult lives. Even as children, they saw themselves as rational, adopting patterns from the flesh-and-blood figures in their immediate environment rather than drawing on the extremely optimistic messages of fairy tales or advertisements.

Growing up, all my female role models had what I would call very “normal” American careers. My mom worked in business, my grandmother was a secretary, and my aunt was a therapist. I saw each of them follow practical, steady paths that they genuinely enjoyed and felt passionate about. So I never developed any overly aspirational dreams like “I want to be President.” It just wasn’t part of the environment I grew up in. (Kelly, 29)

Ideological Perspective Matters, and Commitment Is Essential

In our latest survey, we observed that satisfaction with the fulfillment of childhood dreams typically increases with higher levels of education; furthermore, men report higher satisfaction than women. Ideology is also relevant: those who identify with the Republican party are more likely to feel satisfied with their current situation.

“In reality, childhood dreams usually fade, not because they are unachievable, but because people gradually redefine their priorities for success over time.”

Moreover, respondents often consider completing higher education a true measure of success. Indeed, young graduates may feel more satisfied that they have fulfilled a childhood dream, but what role do the aforementioned gender and ideological differences play? Do young women feel that society still does not offer them equal opportunities for achieving their dreams? Why do Republicans report more success in this domain than Democrats? Do they truly have a better chance of realizing their dreams, or do they simply set smaller, more realistic goals? These are intriguing questions, especially given the growing discussion about ideological differences between genders, with young men becoming more conservative and young women more liberal. As it becomes increasingly difficult for them to connect due to these ideological differences, their levels of satisfaction appear to grow more pronounced.

It also matters whether we are referring to religious, family-oriented individuals or atheist singles. The data clearly show that religious respondents, regardless of their specific faith, are more satisfied with the fulfillment of their childhood dreams than those who consider themselves atheists. Also among married individuals, a higher percentage of 15- to 39-year-olds feel their childhood dreams have come true. These results are consistent with findings from happiness studies. All this data suggest that young Americans evaluate their childhood dreams based on their satisfaction with their current lives. Moreover, young Americans still believe they can achieve their dreams with enough commitment.

Looking back, I think my dream of being an author and a teacher would have been fully within reach. […] I decided no. It's funny because I truly wanted, but I never really committed well, like I never really committed to becoming an author. I never actually sat down and, like, really grinded it out and persevered when it got hard. I just wished for it, instead of actually doing the work. And then, with being a teacher, I mean, I still could become a teacher. (Susan, 24)

The initial findings of this study on the future perspectives of young Americans indicate that the glass is exactly at the halfway point. Whether it is half full or half empty is a more difficult question. In reality, childhood dreams usually fade, not because they are unachievable, but because people gradually redefine their priorities for success over time. The present reshapes the past, so young people’s perception of success depends less on achieving a specific childhood goal and more on how they perceive their current lives.

In a world defined by polycrisis, crisis itself has become the norm, manifesting across multiple domains, including demographic winter, the decline of democracy, identity crises, and growing frustration with the future. Whether young Americans feel they are “on track” depends less on how closely their lives match their childhood aspirations and more on whether they feel empowered and supported by their social environment. Thus, the American dream—not success itself, but the belief that success remains possible—must not fade away.