Sixty-two percent of the 1,060 U.S. teens ages 13-17 who participated in a recent survey said that graduating college is extremely or very important to them, however, being able to pursue what they enjoy (82 percent), having a good standard of living (81 percent), a successful career (80 percent) and owning a home (72 percent) were top priorities.
The AP-NORC’s nationally representative AmeriSpeak Teen Panel was conducted in April and May with results published in July. Its intent is to offer insights into how young people view their futures, including aspirations and concerns.
Fifty-four percent indicated that raising a family was extremely/very important to them while 53 percent felt similarly about contributing to their community, followed by 47 percent who said traveling or seeing the world was of the utmost importance.
“Teens whose parents have a college degree are more likely than those whose parents do not have a college degree to see many of these milestones as extremely or very important,” according to AP-NORC. “When it comes to having a successful career and contributing to one’s community, teens place similar importance regardless of parental educational attainment.”
Girls surveyed were more likely than boys to view graduating from college as important (70 percent versus 54 percent, respectively). Girls placed more importance than boys on other topics including having a successful career (84 percent versus 76 percent), contributing to the community (59 percent versus 48 percent) and seeing the world (52 percent versus 42 percent).
In order, the goals teens feel will be the most difficult for them to achieve compared to their parents are owning a home (72 percent), raising a family (55 percent), having a good standard of living (53 percent), traveling or seeing the world (52 percent), having a successful career (52 percent), pursuing what they enjoy (39 percent), graduating college (33 percent) and contributing to their community (25 percent).
Overall, teens see obtaining a college degree as extremely/very important to getting a job (68 percent), learning necessary life skills (59 percent), becoming a more informed member of society (50 percent) and forming a personal identity (49 percent).
Comparing teens’ responses from 2025 to a similar survey of adults in 2022, “teens are as likely as adults to place a high importance on pursuing what they enjoy, having a high standard of living, owning a home and traveling around the world,” AP-NORC found. “Teens are more likely than adults to view having a successful career, graduating college and contributing to their communities as important. However, adults are more likely than teens to place a high importance on raising a family.”
Adults also recognize how increasingly difficult it is for younger people to reach many of the milestones they value, although teens are more pessimistic.
