The Observer-Dispatch spoke with Zogby recently about the book and what his findings mean for this year’s political candidates.

Question: What is the new American Dream?

Answer: Basically there’s a de-emphasis on the acquisition of goods defining our lives. … The growing numbers of American dreamers are those who say that the American Dream is more spiritual, has more to do with leading a fulfilling life.

Q: You say Americans now have “lower expectations and more civility.” Is that a good thing?

A: That’s a very good question. And that’s what I hope we get out of this, we generate a discussion. You can make the argument that lower expectations are the sort of thing that can kill entrepreneurship. … But the limited expectations are more of a redefined expectations. How do I live my life in a more fulfilling way?

Q: What makes First Globals different from earlier generations?

A: Twenty-somethings are still twenty-somethings, meaning preoccupied with the self, with the career and relationships, and material things. But what’s so different is the degree to which the whole world is the playing field. … I cite a figure of 42 percent of this group that have passports … which means that there’s a global perspective that really no other generation of twenty-somethings had developed. And for that matter, other age cohorts who are now in there 40s, 50s and 60s still aren’t caught up.

Q: How important has the Internet been in developing this global generation?

A: Well, in so many ways it puts the whole world literally on your screen and at your fingertips. … Young people can’t realize that when I was a kid the “Today” show and the evening news were 15 minutes, and you got what they picked. Now, there’s news from all over the world. … It’s also the networking that’s very powerful.

Q: How can political candidates reach people more effectively this year?

A: By promising realistic bridge-building solutions and not by scoring ideological points. … I call this an “or-else” election. You have a lot of high expectations, particularly young people. And the expectations are that they want a problem solver and a truth teller. Whoever gets elected is going to have to do an FDR thing or a Ronald Regan thing, you know, 100 days or 1,000 of legislation, problem solving, reform on big things.

Q: Which statistic from the book will surprise people the most?

A: That 23 percent of First Globals expect to live in a foreign capital, live and work in a foreign capital, at some point in their lives. Stop and think about that. That is a staggering figure.

http://www.uticaod.com/homepage/x160320192/Utica-pollster-Zogbys-book-explores-the-changing-American-Dream