Younger generations are more fearful about becoming ‘adults’

Photo – Younger generations are more fearful about becoming ‘adults’, but experience and age make the difference. The Independent Young people in the United States are more fearful of becoming adults than previous generations, but that fear tends to subside over time, according to new research released this week by the American Psychological Association. Researchers analyzed data collected from college students in 1982, 1992, and 2002. Research questions included asking them “how much they wanted to go back to the safety of childhood” or if they believed their “happiest time” in life was childhood. Those same questions were then asked again to students in 2002, 2012, and 2022, two decades later. According to respondents’ answers, most millennials are more fearful of becoming adults than Gen X or Baby Boomers, but most were able to accept the situation as they got older. When surveying participants by generation, 2002 was millennials, 1992 was Gen X, and 1982 was Baby Boomers. Across all generations except for Baby Boomer men, both men and women showed a decrease in their fear of becoming adults as they aged. Researchers suggest this may be due to historical gender roles and social pressures experienced while growing up in the 1960s and 1970s. Later generations are more fearful about becoming ‘adults’, but experience and age make the difference. “Our findings show that the fear of aging is not fixed, and for most people, this fear is reduced as they gain experience facing the roles and responsibilities of adulthood,” explained April Smith, a professor at Auburn University in Alabama. “At the same time, we consistently see higher levels of fear about becoming an adult among current generations of college students, which may be shaped by broader socioeconomic factors such as economic uncertainty, social pressures, and concerns about the future,” she added. Data is mixed on whether younger Americans, millennials and those younger, are experiencing more financial anxiety. Currently, 42 percent of Gen Z report struggling to make ends meet month-to-month, with their paychecks running out by the end of the month, though that situation is trending in a positive direction. Furthermore, current millennials’ household net worth is higher than that of Baby Boomers when they were the same age, a recent analysis by The Wall Street Journal found. However, many Americans report experiencing financial stress currently, and government data shows that inflation in the U.S. reached its highest level in three years recently. Government data shows that the rise in prices in the U.S. reached its highest level in April in three years. However, why younger generations are more fearful of becoming adults remains a question for researchers to continue to address. “Our study can only show that these generational gaps exist, and we cannot pinpoint exactly what is driving them. Future research will need to examine the role of factors such as economic uncertainty, climate change concerns, major social disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increasing influence of social networks,” Smith said. “It is natural to feel more fearful of aging than previous generations if people feel that the future is more uncertain,” she added. Translated by Moe Thet from The Independent’s “Never grow up! Younger generations are more fearful about becoming ‘adults’”.