The concept of adulting has evolved over the years. Each generation seems to have its own definition of what makes someone a real adult or what decisions an adult would make.
A recent survey took a look at these and other factors and came to an interesting conclusion about just what it takes to be an adult. Apparently, the lightbulb moment is literally whether you can pay to keep your electricity on each month.
According to a survey, paying your own bills seems to be the most important element of adulthood.
Life Happens is a nonprofit dedicated to teaching people about the importance of life insurance. They partnered with Talker Research to conduct a survey titled “Adulthood Across Generations.” The survey included 500 members of each of the four primary adult generations: Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers.
Some of the survey’s most interesting findings included the fact that 11% of the Gen Zers polled did not really feel like they were adults. This may make sense, as they also found that adulthood feels “real” at the age of 27.
Perhaps most notable were the survey’s findings surrounding what truly makes someone an adult, whether they have reached the age of 27 or not.
“Today, a majority believe that the definition of ‘adulting’ is simply paying your own bills (56%),” Life Happens said in a press release that detailed the survey results. “Others say that being financially independent (45%) and putting responsibilities over their personal life or having fun (38%) are key markers of entering your adulthood era.”
If adulthood means paying your own bills, maybe it’s more simple than it’s made out to be.
Based on the results of Life Happens’ and Talker Research’s survey, it would seem that adulthood is something difficult to maintain, and only reserved for the truly mature. However, if paying your own bills is really all it takes, it may be easier to achieve than most believe.
A separate survey from Bankrate found that different generations have different views on when young people should start paying their own bills.
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Bankrate said, “On average, baby boomers believe adults should begin to independently pay for various bills around one to three years sooner than Gen Zers do.”
For example, Gen Z thinks that people should make their own car payments when they are 22, while baby boomers believe the age should be 20.
You might not feel like an adult in your early 20s, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t one.
Summarizing their overall results, Bankrate said, “On average, American adults believe people should begin paying their own bills starting at 20 years old for their car payment, car insurance, cell phone bill, subscription services, and credit card bills — the youngest average ages for bill payments.
They also believe people should pay both their own health insurance and student loans starting at 23 years old on average — the oldest average age for bill payments.”
Based on these statistics, people actually reach true adulthood sooner than 27.
If they follow this agreed upon pattern for paying their own bills, they can consider themselves to be an adult much earlier.
The truth is, regardless of age, no one feels like a ‘real’ adult.
Although Life Happens’ and Talker Research’s survey showed that paying bills was generally regarded as the sign you have reached adulthood, that does not mean it acts as a switch flipping to make you feel like an adult.
According to Psychology Today, there are multiple reasons for this. One is that many milestones like marriage and parenthood typically come later now than they once did.
They also stated that it is possible that you have always held on to the belief that adults have it all figured out, and you certainly don’t.
Whatever your personal feelings, you can take comfort in knowing that once you have begun paying your bills, you truly have reached one of the greatest milestones of adulthood.
It doesn’t have to feel like it, and it likely never will, but everyone is in the same boat. And that’s OK.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.
