What Success Really Means to Most People, Study Finds

Success for most young adults today has nothing to do with a corner office or a bigger paycheck. A recent survey from Citizens Financial Group found that young people define success mainly by three things: living without debt, being able to support a family, and affording a lifestyle that does not leave them stressed out.

Why Corporate Titles Have Lost Their Shine

Fewer than 40% of young adults in the survey expect to outdo their parents financially, and only 26% said climbing the corporate ladder even appeals to them. That is a notable shift from the career narratives many grew up hearing. Instead of chasing promotions or bigger salaries, respondents pointed to three markers: 64% said living debt free counts as success, 60% said supporting a family matters most, and 58% said being able to afford a low stress lifestyle tops their list.

64% Want to Escape Debt, and the Math Explains Why

Roughly 115 million adults in the United States currently carry some form of credit card debt, so it makes sense that living debt free ranks as the top priority. Getting there usually starts with a cushion. Even a modest emergency fund, built with $25 to $50 a month in a high interest savings account, can keep a surprise expense like a $500 car repair from snowballing into a much larger balance once interest piles on.

From there, tackling high interest debt directly matters. Some people use structured payoff strategies, like paying off the smallest balance first before rolling that payment into the next, while others opt for a debt consolidation loan to combine multiple payments into one. Planning ahead on new debt helps too: borrowers with student loans might look into income based repayment, and anyone shopping for a mortgage should focus on what monthly payment they can comfortably handle, not simply the largest amount a lender is willing to approve.

60% Say Family Comes First, Even Without a Six Figure Budget

The cost of raising a child is steep by any measure. Estimates for a child born in 2015 put the total cost of raising that child from birth to age 17 at $310,605. Numbers like that can make parenthood feel out of reach unless a household is already well off.

But researchers who study children's well being consistently find that emotional connection outweighs material provision. Living within your means tends to lower everyday financial stress, and less parental stress is linked to better behavioral outcomes for kids and more enjoyment of family life overall. Chasing career advancement or income growth at the expense of time with family can backfire too much focus on materialism has been shown to weaken the parent child relationship. Kids, it turns out, respond more to playful moments and steady attention than to the latest gadget or toy.

58% Want Breathing Room, Not Just a Bigger Paycheck

Affording a stress free lifestyle sounds simple, but 58% of respondents ranked it as a defining marker of success, which suggests plenty of people feel they have not reached it yet. Income matters, obviously, but so does how that income gets spent.

Lifestyle inflation, where everyday spending creeps upward alongside every raise, is one of the biggest obstacles. It leaves people feeling like they never have enough, and it can turn a job loss into a genuine crisis rather than a temporary setback. Before adding a new recurring expense, it helps to ask whether it is truly necessary: a family getting by fine with one car may not need to take on a second car loan just because they can technically afford one. The same logic applies to housing. A bank might approve a $600,000 mortgage, but a bigger house often means bigger heating bills, more repairs, and more time spent cleaning rooms that rarely get used. Buying only the house you actually need, rather than the biggest one you qualify for, tends to leave more room to breathe financially.

What Ties These Three Goals Together

Living within your means, chipping away at high interest debt, keeping an emergency fund, and recognizing when you already have enough all reinforce each other. They are not separate financial goals so much as different sides of the same approach. And when it comes to family life, the research is fairly consistent: strong emotional bonds do more for a child's happiness than any purchase can. For young adults redefining what a successful life looks like, the throughline is less about earning more and more about spending, saving, and living with intention.