A ten-point jump in the importance of happiness
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For Gen Z, the American Dream has shifted. It’s less about traditional milestones or accumulating great wealth, and more about financial and mental stability.
That’s no surprise to longtime readers of The Up and Up. But according to new data, in just the past couple of years, happiness has become an even bigger part of that vision.
According to American University’s Sine Institute of Policy and Politics’ “Reimagining Political Leadership: The Outlook of Young Americans” 2025 poll, 70% of 18-34-year-olds say personal happiness is “essential” to achieving the American Dream — a 10-point jump in just two years.
Meanwhile, benchmarks like college and marriage stand at the bottom of the list.
By the numbers:
72% of 18-34-year-olds say being secure financially is “essential” to achieving the American Dream
70% say personal happiness
41% say having a meaningful career or vocation
40% say owning a home
24% say getting a college education
And 22% say getting married or being in a long-term relationship
Is there a gender gap? In cross tabs of the Sine Institute’s 2025 poll shared with The Up and Up, we see how young adults’ perception of the American Dream breaks down by gender.
When it comes to personal happiness, young women are 3 points more likely to say happiness is essential to their ability to achieve the American Dream (72% vs. 69%). And when it comes to relationships, young women are 5 points less likely to say getting married or being in a long-term relationship is essential (20% vs. 25%).
Young women are also:
3 points less likely to say owning a home is essential (39% vs. 42%)
2 points more likely to say having a meaningful career is essential (42% vs. 40%)
And 4 points less likely to say being secure financially is essential (70% vs 74%), but 5 points more likely to say it’s “very important” (26% vs. 21%)
So what? As young Americans redefine what success looks like, mental well-being has become non-negotiable. (This idea isn’t new. The pursuit of happiness has always been a part of America’s promise , as Arthur Brooks reminds us.) But, for Gen Z, happiness isn’t a byproduct of success, it’s the definition of it. Perhaps that’s because it’s so hard to come by.
One student from The Up and Up’s Class of 2025 report summed it up best last spring: success means “true happiness oozing out of me,” they said. The Sine Institute’s new data proves they’re not alone.
The Up and Up’s take: Gen Z is the first generation to treat mental health as an ambition. They’ve grown up immersed in conversations about mental health in school, at work, and across culture. But that focus didn’t appear out of nowhere, instead, it was necessary — born out of crisis and the very technology that damaged their mental wellbeing in the first place.
There are a number of reasons the American Dream looks different for today’s youngest Americans, be it inflation, the steep and often prohibitive cost of higher education, shifting workplace norms and unpredictable job market with the rise of AI, or a lack of affordable housing options. And young men and women certainly have a different view of the country and their place in it.
But one thing’s for sure. For a generation that has grown up feeling stressed and anxious, success is less about getting ahead and more about feeling good while trying to keep up.
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Palantir Thinks College Might Be a Waste. So It’s Hiring High-School Grads., Angel Au-Yeung for the Wall Street Journal
For Gen Z, Work Is Now More Depressing Than Unemployment, Jessica Grose for The New York Times
Why Do So Many Young Men Like Nick Fuentes?, Eli Thompson for Rolling Stone