What makes someone adult? The role of family transitions and independence in opinions about becoming adult

In the present paper we examine what criteria are considered necessary for re-garding someone as adult, in the light of the profound changes that has taken place in the process of becoming adult in the last few decades. We use data from the Hungarian supplementary questionnaire of the fourth wave of the European Social Survey (2008; n = 1544). Questions were asked about how important age, as well as different sociological and psychological attributes are for girls or boys to be considered adults. A split ballot design was used. Most people associated adulthood with psychological maturity, reaching age 18, finishing school, being employed full-time and gaining financial independence, while establishing one’s own family was seen as less important. Criteria of adult-hood can be categorized into two groups, that do not coincide with the duality of life course transitions and individualistic psychological attributes that literature often refers to. The factor of “independence” includes responsibility, independent decision-making, reaching age 18 and finishing education. “Family” factor incorpo-rates leaving the parental home, partnership, marriage and parenthood. Employ-ment and financial independence are related to both factors with equal strength. Opinions about adulthood are related to people’s social position and life course experiences only to a limited extent, in sharp contrast with the high variability of their actual transitioning behaviour. The homogeneity of views entails that there may be a collective map in Hungarian society about what it takes to become adult.