Polls: Students optimistic despite money doubts

WASHINGTON (AP) — For young people who came of age in the recession, the American dream of life getting better for each new generation feels like a myth.

A majority expect to have a harder time buying a house and saving for retirement than their parents did. More than 4 in 10 predict it will be tougher to raise a family and afford the lifestyle they want, according to an Associated Press-Viacom poll of Americans ages 18 to 24.

Only about a fourth expect things to be easier for them than the previous generation - a cherished goal of many hardworking parents.

"I just don't really see myself being able to obtain the kind of money my parents could when they were my age," said Mark McNally, 23, who earned a history degree from the University of Minnesota a year ago and now works part-time in a liquor store.

San Francisco State University nursing student Ashley Yates is confident she'll build a career in health care but expects money to be tighter in her lifetime. "Social Security may not even exist when I'm older," said Yates, 23. "Health insurance is going up. Everything just costs more."