The 20 Something American Dream: 2a Cross-Country Quest for a Generation

Seeking to discover what the concept of the American dream means to his generation, Cohen, a 28-year-old attorney, interviewed 50 men and women in their 20s. In a cross-country journey of nine months, Cohen spoke with Americans from diverse locales, ethnic backgrounds, occupations and sexual identification (more than 50% were college-educated). He concludes that most of them do believe it will be possible to have a middle-class suburban home and a nuclear family, but are also fearful that a declining economy will significantly postpone the realization of this dream. He sympathizes with those who endure racism and poverty while lamenting that this generation ``sees the challenges but has no clear vision of how to overcome them.'' Reliance on strictly anecdotal data causes the account to be intriguing but inconclusive. The project was financed by Harvard University. (Aug.)