Survey: Majority of Young Adults Still Attached to Parents, Say 'Adulthood Will Be More Enjoyable'

That's not what a new nationally representative survey of 1,029 people ages 18-29 suggests. Almost 60% say "adulthood will be more enjoyable than my life is now."

More than half (56%) say they often feel anxious; 33% often feel depressed; 65% say "this time of my life is full of uncertainty." Yet 82% say "it still seems like anything is possible."

The responses are based on data collected online and through cell and landline phone interviews, commissioned by Clark University in Worcester, Mass., with people ages 18-29 as part of an ongoing study of a relatively new life stage dubbed "emerging adulthood."

Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, a research professor in psychology at Clark University, coined the term as a phase of human development for the period of late teens through the 20s. It began with Gen X (born in the mid-'60s through early 1980s) and has rippled through to the next generation, the Millennials.

The main contributing social forces are later ages for career, marriage and parenthood, says Arnett, who has been studying young people for 20 years.

"None of those are going to go away in our lifetime," he says.

Among survey findings:

• 52% have daily or almost daily contact with parents via text, e-mail, phone or in person.

• 34% say "my parents are more involved in my life than I really want them to be."

• 38% get little or no financial support from parents, but 16% do "frequently," 16% regularly; and 31% occasionally.

To feel more like a grown-up, Alana Prant, 23, says she wants to become financially independent. That's the response of 30% of those surveyed who said financial independence is the most important factor in becoming an adult.

"I'm about to be 24. I should feel like an adult, but I don't," she says. "My parents completely support me."