While 18 is traditionally seen to be the age at which we become adults, as a nation we are beginning to delay taking on the roles and responsibilities adulthood brings, according to new findings from Scottish Widows’ Attitudes to Planning survey.

Grown up
Nearly half the population (47 per cent) do not feel like a responsible ‘grown-up’ in all areas of life until the age of 25, with a third (33 per cent) of Britons not feeling like an adult until they are 26 or over. Surprisingly, a massive 49 per cent of those who don’t feel like a grown-up believe they will never feel like a grown-up.

However, perhaps the nation is growing up more quickly than they think, as Britons are starting to take control of their money matters at an early age, which could suggest that growing unemployment and an uncertain economic climate could be doing this.

Financially responsible
On average, well over half (58 per cent) of people felt financially grown-up by the time they were 26 years old. Getting their first job was found to be the number one life stage at which most Britons (29 per cent) started to feel financially responsible, placing marriage (14 per cent) into second place. Leaving full-time education (13 per cent) came in third.

Future plans
These figures support the earlier findings of the report, which showed the younger
generation leading the way when it comes to planning for the future. By the time Britons hit their mid-30s, nearly half (48 per cent) say that they like to plan what their lives will look like, compared to just a third (31 per cent) of those aged 35 and above. These future plans are clearly weighing on their minds, with half (50 per cent) of 18 to 34-year-olds already worried that they haven’t spent enough time planning for retirement.