At What Age Do Millennials Consider Themselves Adults? The Answer Will Stun You.

Via Billy
 

A new report has found that millennials don’t consider themselves adults until they reach the age of 30.

Yes, you read that correctly.

According to The Wrap, research compiled by David Poltrack, CBS’ chief research officer and their ratings expert, as well as Nielsen Catalina Solutions, found that millennials consider themselves adults at age 30 because that’s when they typically are completely responsible for themselves – they no longer reside with their parents and pay entirely for their own bills.

A key reason for this shift is economic: the job market has been sluggish since the 2007-2009 recession, worsened by the rising cost of housing. The employment situation has also been particularly tough for recent college graduates who are drowning in student loan debt.

When dealing with these economic challenges, staying with one’s parents has become rather alluring. Poltrack told The Wrap that in a way, parents have “coddled” millennials, encouraging many of them to stay at home.

“They’ve made it too good for them,” Poltrack said. ”Why would you leave?”

Conservative Review’s Chris Pandolfo offered a concise and precise thought on the matter:

The median age of millennials is 30, Poltrack says — meaning that half are older and half are younger. And 30 happens to be the age at which millennials tend to self-identify as adults, Poltrack said. For these purposes, an “adult” is defined as “someone who has moved out of their parents’ home, has a job, and pays their own bills.”

How did millennials start seeming so middle-aged? Poltrack says it because of “lazy” classifications that defined millennials as those 18-to-34. Poltrack, one of the most respected people in studying the demographics of TV viewers, uses designations like “millennial” to simplify who’s watching what.

He and the Center for Generational Kinetics both use the term to describe those born between 1979 and 1995, based on years prescribed by William Strauss and Neil Howe’s book “Generations.” It defines a generation as lasting for 18 years, and works forward from the giant Baby Boomer generation. Their kids, the next largest generation, are millennials. People born after 1995 are actually members of Gen Z.

Why are millennials taking so long to grow up and move out? Some of it is their fault, some of it is their parents’ fault, and much of it is everyone’s fault.

For starters, the December 2007-June 2009 recession made finding employment harder — especially for recent college grads, many of whom happened to saddled with a ton student loan debt. High housing costs, meanwhile, reduced any stigma connected to living at home.

“More controversial is the whole idea that their baby boomer parents have really coddled them,” Poltrack told TheWrap. “They’ve made it too good for them. Why would you leave?”

Well, at some point it’s pretty much to get married and have kids — to be an “adult,” in other words. That’s when people truly become valuable to someone like Poltrack, who wants them to buy a house and a few TVs — and tune in to CBS.