The Way We'll Be (2008) The Zogby Report on the Transformation of the American Dream

by John Zogby of Zogby International, a public opinion polling company

katie_08132008.mp3

The Private Generation (1926-1945)

• Defer gratification• Oppose equal rights for gays and women• Vote to cut school budgets• Favor go-it-alone foreign policy• Expect to live into their 80s and 90s• Loyal and faithful

The Woodstock Generation (1946-1964)

• New set of values about gender, equality, sexual orientation, premarital sex, and the environment• Want to remain youthful• Endured high disappointments• Most likely to demand products purchased be environmentally friendly• Penchant for complaint

The Nike Generation (1965-1978)

• Learned no institution is permanent• Reached sexual maturity with AIDS and STDs• Raised by television• Include Generation Xers• Most libertarian generation in America• Do not believe the government is the problem solver• No institutional attachment• Live for the moment

First Globals (1979-1990)

• Highly materialistic and self-absorbed• Caring and tolerant• Change-oriented• OK with high educational debt• Most cosmopolitan age group in America• Does not expect job security

According to Zogby… The American dream is in transition; it is rapidly being

redefined by four meta-movements: living with limits as consumers and citizens; embracing diversity of views and ways of life; looking inward to find spiritual comfort; and demanding authenticity from the media, our leaders, and leading institutions.

Spearheaded by today’s eighteen-to-twenty-nine-year-olds–the “First Global” generation–Americans are becoming more internationalist, consensus-oriented, and environmentally conscious and less willing to identify themselves by the things they do to earn or spend their money.

But this is more than a youth tide. Americans of all ages are moving beyond old divides–red state/blue state, pro-life/pro-choice, beer drinker/wine connoisseur–to form a new national consensus that will shape the nation for decades to come.

The point is….

One size doesn’t fit all…. Each generation brings with them a

different culture, different expectations and different strengths

How do we address this as we develop courses for multiple generations?