Young People Admit It’s Tough Becoming an Adult

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WORCESTER, Mass.) — People between the ages of 18 and 29 seem to have it made since they’re young with their whole lives ahead of them.  But if you ask their opinions about it, young adulthood isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, according to a survey commissioned by Clark University in Worcester, Mass.

In fact, just under half in this group feel they’ve actually reached adulthood, with nearly as many admitting that in some ways they don’t feel like they’ve reached it quite yet.

Of the 1,000 people surveyed, 36 percent believe the most important qualification for achieving adulthood is accepting responsibility for one’s self, while three in ten say it has to do with becoming financially independent.  At the bottom of the list is getting married, with just 4 percent thinking that’s what becoming an adult is all about.

Meanwhile, the 18- to 29-year-olds considered the Millennials are conflicted about what to feel about their situation.  While just over eight in ten say “anything is possible,” two-thirds complain about uncertainty, half admit to anxiety and a third feel depressed.

As for their relations with parents, half say they’re in daily or almost daily contact with mom and dad, and a third grouse that “my parents are more involved in my life than I really want them to be” — a sign of so-called “helicopter parents.”

While economic times are tough, 38 percent say they don’t depend at all on their parents for financial support although 16 percent do frequently, 16 percent say regularly and 13 percent do occasionally.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio