Going to the tip, doing all your own washing and paying utility bills are all among the signs you’re an adult, according to new research.
A study of 2,000 Brits revealed the top 50 signs of finally reaching adulthood, with the list including things such as liking living in a clean house, not purchasing the cheapest wine at the shop and getting excited at the thought of buying a dishwasher.
Preferring a night in to a night out, taking out contents insurance and always clearing things away at the end of an evening (rather than stacking dishes in the sink) also featured highly in the list.
The One Poll research from Endsleigh Insurance Services also discovered that Brits now turn into an adult at the grand old age of 25 – some seven years later than ‘legal adulthood’.
Julia Alpan, head of marketing at Endsleigh, said:
Adult life can be a challenge for many Brits, from organising finances to managing household chores, so it’s no surprise to see how many people feel they don’t reach official ‘adulthood’ until the age of 25.
Whether it’s paying your own utility bills, spending less money on nights out, or taking out your first ever contents insurance policy – these are just some of the key indicators that you are well on your way to becoming an ‘official’ grown-up, whether you feel like one or not!
Other signs of being an adult include doing a weekly food shop, being able to cook food from scratch and owning a vacuum cleaner.
Moving out of the family home is a sure sign someone is on their way to being an adult, as is making your own financial decisions.
Endsleigh also found that, for students and house sharers, going out less to save money and selecting housemates based on reliability to pay rent, cleanliness and work ethic featured prominently, as did sacrificing a drink in the pub in order to take out contents cover.
Watching the news, going to bed before 11pm and owning a pet also appear on the top 50 list.
While those people who greet others with a handshake, take a keen interest in the garden and spend weekends pottering can rest in the knowledge they are an adult.
However, researchers found modern Brits are reaching adulthood much later than previous generations – with 64 per cent believing this is because it is harder to get on the housing ladder or find a job.
Six in 10 adults believed you need to be at a point in life where your finances are in order to start feeling like a grown-up – which includes arranging your own insurance, keeping track of interest rates, having a credit card and a savings account.
But the current economic climate makes it impossible for youngsters to grow up as quickly as they’d like, according to 56 per cent polled. A quarter of respondents aged 18 and over still haven’t ever paid either a gas or electricity bill, and 17 per cent have never arranged their own buildings or contents insurance.
Julia Alpan, head of marketing at Endsleigh, added:
It’s surprising to see just how many young adults confessed to not undertaking day-to-day tasks such as paying utility bills and arranging their own insurance.
For young people and students leaving home for the first time, this can be a daunting experience, which is why many millennials are choosing to avoid the realities of ‘adult’ life for longer than ever before – and relying on parental support well into their 20s.
To help make the first steps into official ‘adulthood’ the insurance provider is giving one lucky student the chance to win a year’s worth of rent to the value of £10,000. To be in with a chance of winning, take Endsleigh’s housemate quiz at endsleigh.co.uk/personal/gadget/housemate-quiz before May 18, 2018. *T&Cs apply.
With over 50 years’ experience Endsleigh uses its expertise to provide home, motor, travel and gadget insurance, throughout student life, through to homeownership and beyond.
TOP SIGNS YOU’RE AN ADULT
- Paying utility bills
- Doing your own washing/ironing
- Budgeting
- Moving out from the family home
- Taking out contents insurance
- Having a mortgage/buying a house
- Your mum and dad don’t make your financial decisions for you any more
- You pay into a pension
- Keeping a clean house
- Doing a weekly food shop
- Having children
- You book your own appointments
- You have written a will
- Preferring a night in to a night out
- Being able to cook from scratch
- Watching the news
- You have a credit card
- Going to the tip
- You have a savings account
- Always clearing things away at the end of the evening rather than stacking dishes in the sink
- Knowing what terms like ‘ISA’ and ‘tracker’ mean
- Owning a vacuum cleaner
- You take a keen interest in the garden
- You recycle
- You can bleed a radiator
- Having a joint bank account
- You have a view on politics
- You can change a light bulb
- Keeping track of interest rates
- Owning a lawn mower
- No longer going home for a Sunday roast
- Hosting dinner parties
- You greet people with a handshake
- Owning your own car on finance
- Getting excited at the thought of buying a dishwasher
- You decorate
- You spend weekends ‘just pottering’
- Going to bed before 11pm
- Your mum starts asking you for advice
- Not always purchasing the cheapest wine in the shop
- You have at least tried to discuss the economy
- You wear a coat and sensible shoes on nights out
- Having a to do list
- You can change a tyre
- You can follow a recipe
- You enjoy art galleries/museums
- Having a calendar
- You are a proud pet owner
- You have a ‘best’ crockery set
- You buy a Sunday paper
