A new poll shows about half of young Americans expect to be financially better off than their parents, a sign the dream of upward mobility is alive but somewhat tempered.

The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and MTV found half of 15- to 26-year-olds think they will eventually be better off than their parents in terms of household finances. About 29 percent expect to do as well as their parents, and 20 percent expect to be worse off.

Parents are slightly more optimistic: 60 percent think their children will do better than they did, a view that held true for parents across all income groups. Overall, only 12 percent of parents say they feel their children might do worse.