Every generation puts its stamp on the American Dream, But none have re-engineered the term quite like Millennials (千禧一代,1984~1995年出生) , who mostlywant to travel and not work slavishly for the man.
The American Dream has been part of our culture since the 1930s, and has at timesreferred to home ownership, a good job, retirement security, or each generation doingbetter than the last. Now comes a new young adult population to say it means none of that;the dream is really about day-to-day control of your life.
    In a new poll,38% of Millennials say travel is part of the American Dream,exceeding the 28% who name secure retirement. They identify the dream of homeownership at a far lower rate than Gen X ( X一代,20 世纪 60～70 年代出生 ) andbaby boomers ( 婴儿潮一代,1946-1964年出生 ) . Meanwhile,26% of Millennials citeself-employment as part of the dream--more than Gen X (23%) and older boomers (16%),according to MassMutual's study The 2013 State of the American Family.
    These attitudes make a lot of sense in the context of the era that Millennials havecome of age. Home ownership? Many of them saw the foreclosure (取消抵押品赎取权 )crisis up close. A good job? The rate of 16- to 24-year-olds out of school and out of workis unusually high at 15%. Many college graduates have taken jobs that don't require adegree.
    What about retirement security? Again, this generation has seen the retirement hopesof its parents fade with lackluster ( 乏善可陈的，成绩平平的) investment results andcrumbling pensions. It seems the Great Recession left its mark. As a group, Millennialsprize job mobility, flexible schedules, any work that is more interesting than punchinga keyboard, and the ability to travel and be with friends. Millermials (11%) are far morelikely than boomers (3%) to identify close friends as part of their family.
    The landscape is different for young adults today, and the level of frustration hasbeen increasing since the recession. A true American Dream has to feel attainable, andmany Millennials aren't feeling they can attain much more than a day-to-day lifestyle thatsuits them.
    They aren't alone, by the way. Some 45% of older boomers agree that the AmericanDream is slipping away--up from 30% two years ago. Boomers still cling to the oldAmerican Dream of financial independence (80%) and home ownership (78%). But for alarge number of the population those dreams too are starting to feel elusive (难以捕捉的) .