Are younger Americans redefining success or rescheduling it?

Read the full What the Future: Success issue

What success means to Gen Z falls in line with prior generations — but how and when they achieve it is changing. Brands and institutions can earn trust and loyalty if they understand modern life stages.

WHY WE ASKED:

Many have argued that Gen Z is “redefining success” and no longer aspires to homeownership, parenthood or other traditional goals. But data from the 2026 Ipsos Generations Report indicates that what’s changed isn’t what success means to Gen Z, but how and when they achieve it. Rather than viewing younger Americans as delayed in their development, Ipsos research suggests their lives should be understood through the lens of “Modern Milestones.”

WHAT WE FOUND:

Many younger Americans are approaching life milestones differently and on a different timeline, from getting married to getting their driver’s licenses. An Ipsos poll for Thrivent found that that only 46% of 18- to 35-year-olds say they’ve moved out of their parents’ house.

But that doesn’t mean their aspirations have changed. Gen Z and Millennial Americans are actually more likely than older generations to identify marriage or a full-time job with success, according to the 2026 Ipsos Generations Report. This is true of both their values and their expectations: 70% say they plan to hold down a full-time job or move into their own home, and half expect to become parents.

The less linear and conventional paths Americans are taking toward these goals make up a new life stage: the “Twentysomething” period between adolescence and the responsibilities of a career, marriage or homeownership. As What the Future Editor Matt Carmichael notes, mistaking this new life stage for permanent generational traits is “natural but can be misleading strategically” — and brands that conflate them risk losing sight of what people actually need today and tomorrow.

For many younger Americans, what's changing isn't the destination but the path leading to it. For brands and institutions, that means looking beyond age-based assumptions and understanding how shifting life stages are reshaping needs, expectations and purchasing decisions.

Companies can position themselves for success today by:

• Using qualitative research and behavioral science frameworks to understand how attitudes on success diverge along demographic and economic lines.
• Testing communications to ensure they align with life-stage priorities or tap into cross-generational values.
• Developing products that fulfill Americans’ traditional aspirations on different budgets or timelines.
• Using scenario planning to prepare for how generational shifts impact consumer spending.

By understanding how the path to success is changing across generations, brands and institutions can better anticipate evolving consumer needs, design more relevant products and services and build stronger relationships with the people they serve.

For further reading:

• Ipsos Generations Report 2026
• Moving back in with parents is the new normal for young adults
• Ipsos Top Topics: Gen Z