https://www.axios.com/2023/11/25/american-dream-poll-wealth-inequality
Americans are increasingly unlikely to believe that those who work hard will get ahead and that their children will be better off than they are, according to two recent polls.
You don't think any American generation did better than the previous one through work?
Some generations did better than previous ones due to economic conditions at the time, and this is especially true in the period between WWII and Reaganomics. Some individuals experience both hard work and success, but there are a great many hard working individuals who have no personal wealth to speak of.
As for working hard, (unless I miss your point) - it's hardly new for older generations to accuse younger ones of not wanting to work.
American Dream, ideal that the United States is a land of opportunity that allows the possibility of upward mobility, freedom, and equality for people of all classes who work hard and have the will to succeed.
How would one “work hard” without working?