Here's the age when 'adulthood' officially starts, according to survey
FILE- A person works from home while on a Zoom call. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
Everyone has their own criteria to define what it means to be an adult.
And while these views can vary, people polled in a new survey from Life Happens gave their perspective on when "adulthood" begins.
The survey finds that being an adult actually starts at 27 years old, since this is the age when life, money and the future starts to feel "real."
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When asked what defines "adulting," the top two responses among people were related to finance, with 56% saying it meant the ability to pay your own bills, while 45% said it’s financial independence, and 46% said they "felt" like an adult when they moved out of their parents’ home.
Respondents admitted that being an adult is difficult, with 71% saying that being a grownup is harder now than it was 30 years ago, with 72% blaming it on a higher cost of living.
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Financial stability was the hallmark of what qualified as "adulting" among different age groups polled in the survey, and the top three responses were managing money, start saving early (64%); creating a budget (46%) and to start building credit as soon as you can (41%).
Approximately 76% of older generations admitted that they wished they had taken their finances more seriously in their 20s, compared to Gen Z respondents who say they pay their own bills, are getting credit cards, and they're learning how to budget and open savings accounts around the age of 22. But Gen Z Americans also acknowledged that they have not started contributing to a retirement plan.
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The survey also noted that four in 10 respondents admit they do not believe they will ever achieve financial stability, while 56% say they have never taken the step of working with a financial professional.
Findings for the poll were collected from the Life Happens survey "Adulthood Across Generations." Researchers polled 2,000 people split evenly by generation: 500 each of Gen Z adults, Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers.