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THE CLASS OF 2000 Contents Preface by Dan Rather (Click
HERE to Read!) PART I LOOKING AHEAD PART II THE LIVES THEY LEAD PART III MORALITY AND BEHAVIOR PART IV THE WORLD AROUND THEM PART V THE TECHNOLOGICAL FUTURE Appendix A: Methodology Chapter 2: Hopes and Dreams Marcus Streater seemed to have enough energy to fuel a spaceship. And even though aeronautics was not this science buff's primary passion, it very well could be someday. Streater lived with his mom near downtown Orlando. She held two jobs, one as a waitress, the other as a night manager at a grocery store. Her son -- who volunteered at his neighborhood community center and was trucking through an honors program at school -- started frequenting the Orlando Science Center when he was a freshman. Whether it was discussing centers of gravity, lava, or the diet of snakes, Streater wanted to learn it all. It wasn't long before the science center invited the teen on board, as a paid tour guide. Soon after, he was asked to join a society of black engineers, where he "got to do some really neat things, as far as engineering, building...hands-on stuff." About his future, Streater said with unparalleled enthusiasm: "Everything in my life right now is preparing me for something bigger and greater." Like Streater, many members of the class of 2000 forecast a bright future. Nearly two-thirds of seniors predict that their lives will be better than their progenitors', while 30% think it will be about the same. A mere 4% have already resigned themselves to a worse existence. These teens have gotten slightly more optimistic over time: as freshmen 56% thought their lives held more promise than their parents'. HOW WILL THEIR LIVES COMPARE WITH THOSE OF
THEIR PARENTS? 11/99 12/98 9/97 1/97 Like Streater, teens with the most optimistic outlooks emerged from lower-income households and were minority students. Seventy-five percent of students from households with annual incomes under $15,000 say their lives will be better than their parents', as do 79% of African-American students and 76% of Hispanic students. This sanguinity is not unanimous, however. Students who are shuttling straight into the workforce after high school, rather than attending college or joining the military, are divided over their prospects for a better future. Only 48% of these students think their lives will be an improvement over their folks', and 45% think it will be about the same. Jemel Davila has a shot at an auspicious future. As a ninth-grader at Miami Senior High, this Latino teenager was practicing basketball for four hours a day, and his mailbox was already stuffed with recruitment letters from colleges. By the end of his sophomore year his team had won the Florida State Championship, and Davila exclaimed, "I'm excited to see what the future holds in store for me." His ultimate aspiration: to play hoops for the Lakers. Many in the millennial class exhibit a healthy belief in the American dream. In November 1999, 89% of the seniors -- including large majorities of whites and blacks, the rich and the poor -- felt that it was still possible to start out destitute in this country and wind up with some big bucks. IS IT STILL POSSIBLE TO START POOR AND
BECOME RICH? Davila's mother is thoroughly supportive of his hoop dreams. "The kind of pressure on him, it's good. It's healthy," she says. "He's got goals to achieve, something to look forward to." But not everyone can be a proud basketball mom. While most adults' expectations for the class of 2000 have improved over time, a significant number of adults remain less optimistic than the students. In a May 2000 CBS News/New York Times poll, only 29% of grown-ups predict a better life for graduating seniors, while 32% foresee a dismal future, and 36% think it's going to be more of the same. Better than 1996, though, when 49% of adults said life would be worse for (the then) freshmen and only 14% thought it would be better. STUDENTS' FUTURE LIVES COMPARED WITH
ADULTS' LIVES -- Among Adults 5/00 / 7/96 For all their doomsaying, adults, curiously, still believe in the American dream. In February 2000, 84% of all adults said it was still possible to start out with an empty wallet and become prosperous -- almost equal to the proportion of graduating seniors who say so. What the Future Holds Thomas Gifford, from Nashville, Tennessee, breathed a liberating sigh of relief during his sophomore year: he got his driver's license. This right of passage suddenly afforded him independence from his parents and boundless dating possibilities. "It's the start of a whole new age," he said smugly as he pranced out of the DMV clutching that coveted rectangle of plastic. Like Gifford, many in the class of 2000 are chomping at the bit for their much-awaited autonomy, with one-quarter of graduating seniors mentioning independence as what they anticipate most eagerly. Twenty-two percent were enthusiastic about future jobs and careers, and 17% expressed keen interest in starting families. WHAT DO STUDENTS LOOK FORWARD TO THE MOST?
-- Now / 11/99 While students' priorities shifted subtly throughout their high school years, by the time they were getting fitted for caps and gowns, the need for independence increased dramatically. Last November they were looking most forward to jobs and careers (27%), followed by starting a family (21%). Independence hovered in a distant third place, cashing in at only 13%. Maryland native Olivia Smith remarked about her future: "Goals change the more you grow up. When I was nine, I wanted to be a doctor. But when I went into fifth grade, I wanted to be a marine biologist. A couple of weeks ago, I wanted to have nine kids. Today I don't want to have any kids. I basically just want to grow up safe and luxurious and have lots of money." Breaking gender stereotypes, girls and boys reported different priorities for their future. Girls are divided between careers (26%) and independence (25%). Boys, on the other hand, cite independence and marriage as most important, at 26% and 18%, respectively. WHAT DO STUDENTS LOOK FORWARD TO THE MOST?
-- Boys / Girls Reared on PlayStations and the Internet -- and undoubtedly more adept than their parents at programming the clock on a VCR -- graduating seniors believe that their generation will offer society advancements in technology and science. One-quarter cite this as their age's most likely long-term contribution. Another 11% believe that their contemporaries will bring forth innovative ideas, and 8% say they will create a safer society and a better-educated populace. WHAT WILL BE THE CLASS OF 2000'S BIGGEST
FUTURE CONTRIBUTION? -- Now / 1/97 This has changed over time. As freshmen, when asked what their contemporaries would contribute to society in the long run, 41% could not give an answer; now only 25% don't know. In 1997 the top answer given was also science and technology, mentioned by 14%. Bad news for tree huggers, though. Both in 1997 and now, only 3% of the millennial class thought that their generation's greatest contribution would be to improve the environment.
Copyright © 2000 by CBS Worldwide Inc. Special Information:
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