a look at lifestyle of today's adults

1. GROWN-UP STUFF A look at the lifestyle of today’s adults

2. WHY A STUDY OF ADULTHOOD?

3. BECAUSE IT’S WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE Source: ONS

4. Source: British Household Panel Study/Abbey National, nVision Base: 10,000 aged 15+, Britain, 2001 It’s where the money is

5. AND IT IS CHANGING

6. Life as a rollercoaster of turning points 3 career changes 55% marriages end in divorce 5+ home moves

8. 65% of adults plan a major life change in the next 18 months Henley Centre

9. OUR OBJECTIVE How is our experience adulthood different from our youth? How is our experience different from our parents?

31. AND ALL THE TIME THERE IS A GROWING AWARENESS THAT…

32. DEATH IS COMING LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN IN THE NIGHT

37. DISCOVERING NEW DIMENSIONS “ So although I am bit of a boring banker by day, I do lots of amateur dramatics and I do part time entertainment as a clown.”

38. FINDING NEW VALUES “ I was very materialistic and wanted everything they had to offer and I got it and then I thought, it’s not worth having.”

39. STAYING CURIOUS “ Someone will have a CD and you say that sounds good and you listen to it. That is a sort of a connection but it’s about discovering new parts of you as well.”

40. TAKING EACH DAY AS IT COMES “ I used to make plans but I don’t bother any more; it always goes wrong. And I think you can look far ahead it’s like tempting fate really.”

41. GRABBING LIFE WITH BOTH HANDS “ I work full time, and I still want a social life and all the rest of it. Go home, get yourself spruced up and something to eat go out as well. You do have to squeeze it all in.”

42. SETTLING FOR LESS “ It is like you are constantly striving to attain something. Being happy with what you have got is central to having a good life.”

43. APPRECIATING SIMPLICITY “ Happiness is being up to my knees in mud with my horse”

44. WALKING THE WALK “ I am one of these people who will only shop in certain shops. Everything I buy I make a conscious choice about. I look at where it has come from. I think it is the only way that we have power.”

45. BECOMING OPEN-MINDED “ If I thought of someone as cool I would mean: a pretty non-judgmental person, not very hung up, someone who is just kind of going about their own business in a completely relaxed way.

46. ENJOYING LIFE. “ I was working hard in a job that I hated but it was well paid. I would rather compromise and have a nicer life in general”

48. THE BIG QUESTION How do I make the most of my life?

49. TO BE INTERESTING, DO INTERESTING “ If you are going to be interested in something, whatever the subject may be, then you have the potential to be interesting.“ Looking good isn’t enough, it is what we do that defines our individuality During prime time, 35-55 ABC1’s: 51% more likely to in a bar or restaurant 36% more likely to be exercising 41% more likely to be at the cinema 28% more likely to be visiting friends 49% more likely to be using the internet

50. FILL EVERY MOMENT “ There are so many things I want to do, so many books I want to read, so many places I want to go.” Time squeezed? Only because we want to fill our lives. There are not enough hours in the day to do everything I’d like 59%

51. FIND A LIFE BEYOND WORK “ It’s still tough when you go through life defining and being defined by what you do then what you do changes. You go through this whole period of self-examination, well who am I?” Burnt-out, bored or just disappointed with our careers, we look for approbation outside work 37% involved in voluntary work Big Britain

52. FAIL WITH PRIDE “ I spent my 20’s trying to earn as much money as I could and spent the weekends shoveling coke up my nose. I do feel that was a waste of time and I feel a lot happier now earning less money having a more relaxed lifestyle.” Self-help culture and a steady diet of confessional TV has made us self knowing and not afraid to admit our regrets

53. EMBRACE CHANGE “ I’m always changing. All sorts of stuff. I just think I am going down the wrong road and I’ll change the road.” Our ability to cope with new situations is greater than any previous generation You should seize opportunities in life when they arise 85% What I want out of life is to have fun and enjoy life’s pleasures 76%

55. LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS “ If you set your expectations too high, make it too hard you are just going to fail every time.” How we spend our time is more important than the money we make.

56. FIND YOUR AUDIENCE From spiritualist website designers to design anthropologists and reggae gardeners, there is an audience for you out there. 50.6 million bloggers 70,000 new blogs appearing each day And billions of personal websites “ Check this out, it’s a bit like your BT thing.”

57. HAVE SOME SELF RESPECT After decades of hedonism, we are learning the value of dignity “ In your twenties you are up for drinking 18 pints and having fun if you could stand up. But you could have even more fun by drinking less. Your options are much, much wider the older you are.”

58. TO STAY SANE, GO CRAZY ONCE IN A WHILE. The clubbing generation find it hard to do without a monthly blow-out “ You feel like you have to be reasonable and sensible all the time. When you are out with friends it doesn’t matter.”

60. FEED YOUR DEEPER SIDE “ Music is the only thing I feel a connection with. Listening to music and discovering new music that you like. Which I am doing at the moment. Listening to different stuff like local bands.” For £50 Bloke and MP3 Woman music, books and movies are the things that connect most with them.

61. ABOVE ALL ELSE, BE TRUE TO YOURSELF “ Forget your inner audience and celebrate your uniqueness. Everything you don’t do, you are thinking about what other people might think and you can’t live by what anyone else might think or believe.” “ I’m more comfortable in my own skin. I accept that not everyone is going to like me and quite frankly it doesn’t matter if they do or not.” Knowing who you are is the most important value. Being true to yourself demands the awareness that you will constantly change