This report focuses on those in the 'thresholder' age group, looking at their lifestyles, attitudes and spending habits, and at the differences between those who left school without entering Higher Education and those who are students or graduates. Although a significant proportion, notably women, of this age group do have children, this report concentrates on those who do not, although where especially relevant comment is made regarding those who are already parents.


Table of contents:

Introduction

Abbreviations

Executive Summary

Youth extension
Decisions, decisions
Education - should they stay or should they go?
Back to the classroom?
Working types
Is a degree worth it?
The wider world - apathy reigns
Regrets - they've had a few
Something to be proud of
Money problems
Men and women shop differently
Leisure takes priority
Looking forward

Demographic Background

Young people in the population
Figure 1: Population trends, by age group, 1997-2007
Figure 2: Population trends , by those aged 18-21 and those aged 22-25, 1997-2007
Marriage and fertility
Figure 3: Mean age at first marriage, England and Wales, by gender, 1986-2001
Figure 4: Marital status of 16-24-year-olds, by gender, 2001
Figure 5: Mean age of mother at first birth, England and Wales, 1986-2002
Figure 6: 18-25-year-olds with children under 16, by gender and demographic sub-group, 2003
Figure 7: 18-25-year-olds with children under 16, by gender and socio-economic group, 2003
Living arrangements
Figure 8: 18-25-year-olds, by gender, age and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 9: Demographic profile of 18-25-year-olds, by living arrangements, 2003
Education and employment
Figure 10: 18-25-year-olds, by gender, age and working status, 2003

Lifestyles and Priorities

How happy are they?
Figure 11: 'I am very happy with my life as it is' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 12: 'I am very happy with my life as it is' - all adults and 18-25-year-olds, by gender, 2003
Figure 13: 'I am very happy with my life as it is' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 14: 'I am very happy with my life as it is' - 18-25-year-olds, by living arrangements, 2003
What are their priorities?
Figure 15: Lifestyle priorities - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, October 2002
Decisions, decisions
Education
Figure 16: Education decisions, 2003
Figure 17: 'I am happy with the state education system' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 18: 'I am happy with the state education system '- 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Back to study
What job?
Figure 19: Length of time with current employer - all adults and 18-24-year-olds, May 2003
Figure 20: Number of employers in last five years - all adults and 18-24-year-olds, May 2003
Figure 21: Plans to change jobs in next 12 months - all adults and 18-24-year-olds, May 2003
Steady climbers
Career-minded
Figure 22: 'I look on the work I do as a career rather than just a job'- 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 23: 'I look on the work I do as a career rather than just a job' - working 18-25-year-olds, by gender and terminal education age, 2003
Figure 24: 'I want to get to the very top in my career' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 25: 'I want to get to the very top in my career' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 26: 'I want to get to the very top in my career' - working 18-25-year-olds, by gender and terminal education age, 2003
Idealists
Entrepreneurs
Finding a job
Figure 27: Employment decisions, 2003
Afraid of losing it?
Figure 28: 'Job security is more important than money' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Was it worth getting a degree?
Gap in their knowledge: gap years and time out
Pre-university
Friends and relationships
Steady relationship or big group of friends?
Partner or career?
Figure 29: 'It is important to be attractive to the opposite sex' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 30: 'I think it's important to have a lasting relationship with one partner' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 31: 'I think it's important to have a lasting relationship with one partner'- 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003
Living arrangements
Living at home
Living in shared rented accommodation
Living with partner
The world outside
On UK politics:
On world politics:
On the environment:
Figure 32: 'I would be prepared to pay more for environmentally friendly products' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 33: 'I would be prepared to pay more for environmentally friendly products' - all adults and 18-25-year-olds, by gender, 2003
Regrets - they've had a few...
'I wish I'd worked harder at school'
'I wish I'd gone to university'
'I wish I'd had a gap year'
'I wish I'd made better use of my gap year'
'I wish I'd gone travelling'
'I wish I'd made the most of going travelling'
Figure 34: 'If only I had' - 18-25-year-olds, 2003
Something to be proud of...
Personal achievements
Academic
Career
Creative
Family, friends, social life
Independence, growing confidence
Figure 35: 'Something to be proud of' - 18-25-year-olds, 2003
The marketing perspective

Managing Money

Figure 36: 'I am perfectly happy with my standard of living' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 37: 'I am perfectly happy with my standard of living' - all adults and 18-25-year-olds, by gender, 2003
Figure 38: 'I am perfectly happy with my standard of living' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 39: 'I am perfectly happy with my standard of living' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003
Debt
Figure 40: 'I don't like the idea of being in debt' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 41: 'I don't like the idea of being in debt' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 42: 'I don't like the idea of being in debt' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003
Low pay
The property ladder
A helping hand
Money management
Figure 43: 'I think I'm good at managing my money' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 44: 'I think I'm good at managing my money' - all adults and 18-25-year-olds, by gender 2003
Figure 45: 'I think I'm good at managing my money' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 46: 'I think I'm good at managing my money' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 47: 'I feel quite confident about personal finance' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 48: 'I feel quite confident about personal finance' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 49: 'I feel quite confident about personal finance' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 50: Ownership of personal finance products - all adults and 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 51: Confidence about personal finance - 18-25-year-olds, by ownership of personal finance products, 2003
Saving
Figure 52: 'I am no good at saving money' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 53: 'I am no good at saving money' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 54: 'I am no good at saving money' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003
The marketing perspective

Spending Money

18-25s and shopping
Figure 55: 'I tend to spend money without thinking' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 56: 'I tend to spend money without thinking' - all adults and 18-25-year-olds, by gender, 2003
Figure 57: 'I tend to spend money without thinking' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 58: 'I tend to spend money without thinking' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 59: 'I really enjoy any kind of shopping' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 60: 'I really enjoy any kind of shopping'- 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 61: 'I really enjoy any kind of shopping'- 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 62: 'I often buy, on impulse, products I hadn't thought of' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 63: 'I often buy, on impulse, products I hadn't thought of' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 64: 'I often buy, on impulse, products I hadn't thought of' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 65: 'I often buy, on impulse, products I hadn't thought of' - all 18-25-year-olds and those who have a mortage or a credit card, 2003
Figure 66: 'When I see a new brand I often buy it to see what it's like' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 67: 'When I see a new brand I often buy it to see what it's like' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 68: 'When I see a new brand I often buy it to see what it's like' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003

What do they spend their money on?
Technology
Figure 69: 'I love to buy new gadgets and appliances' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 70: ''I love to buy new gadgets and appliances' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 71: 'I love to buy new gadgets and appliances' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003
Audio-visual equipment
Mobile phones
Figure 72: Ownership of mobile phones - all adults and 18-25-year-olds, by gender, 2003
Computers
Cars
Figure 73: Attitudes towards car ownership and purchasing - 18-25-year-olds who personally own a car, by gender, 2003
Figure 74: Attitudes towards car ownership and purchasing - those who personally own a car, by gender and age group, 2003
Clothes
Figure 75: 'I like to keep up with the latest fashions' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 76: 'I like to keep up with the latest fashions' - all adults and 18-25-year-olds, by gender, 2003
Figure 77: 'I wear designer clothing' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 78: 'I spend a lot of money on clothes' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 79: 'I really enjoy shopping for clothes' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
The marketing perspective

Young Leisure

Music and culture
Figure 80: 'Music is an important part of my life' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 81: 'Music is an important part of my life' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 82: Cultural events/performances attended nowadays - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, 2003
Figure 83: Those going to pop/rock concerts nowadays - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, age group, working status and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 84: Those going to the theatre/plays nowadays - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, age group, working status and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 85: Those going to art galleries nowadays - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, age group, working status and living arrangements, 2003
Sport and exercise
Figure 86: 'I do some form of sport or exercise at least once a week' - all adults and 18-25-year-olds, by gender, 2003
Figure 87: 'I do some form of sport or exercise at least once a week' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 88: 'I do some form of sport or exercise at least once a week' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 89: 'I do some form of sport or exercise at least once a week' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 90: Main sports participated in regularly - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, March 2003
Figure 91: Reasons for taking part in sport and exercise - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, March 2003
Eating out and takeaways
Figure 92: 'I enjoy splashing out on a meal in a restaurant' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 93: Frequency of visiting restaurants (daytime and evening) - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, 2003
Figure 94: Those who eat out at least once a month (daytime and evening) - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, age group, working status and living arrangements, 2003
Takeaways
Pubs and clubs
Figure 95: 'I really enjoy a night out at the pub' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 96: 'I really enjoy a night out at the pub' - all adults and 18-25-year-olds, by gender, 2003
Figure 97: 'In the evening I often go to a bar/café/pub/club' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 98: 'In the evening I often go to a bar/café/pub/club' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 99: 'In the evening I often go to a bar/café/pub/club' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 100: Frequency of drinking in pubs (daytime and evening) - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, 2003
Figure 101: Frequent drinkers in pubs (evenings) - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, age group, working status and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 102: Frequency of visiting nightclubs - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, 2003
Figure 103: Those visiting nightclubs at least once a week - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, age group, working status and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 104: 'I often go dancing' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 105: 'I often go dancing' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Figure 106: 'I often go dancing' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 107: Attitudes towards nightclubs - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, September 2002
Alcohol, cigarettes, recreational drugs
Figure 108: Attitudes towards drinking alcohol - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, May 2003
Figure 109: Drinking alcohol at home - habits and attitudes - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, may 2003
Figure 110: Drinking alcohol away from home - habits and attitudes - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, May 2003
Figure 111: 'I like to try new drinks' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 112: Drink most likely to drink at home - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, may 2003
Figure 113: Drink most likely to drink in the pub - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, may 2003
Drugs or alcohol?
Figure 114: 'Cannabis should be legalised' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 115: 'Cannabis should be legalised' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Cigarettes
Figure 116: Cigarette smokers - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, age group, working status and living arrangements, 2003
TV, radio, recorded music
Newspapers, magazines, books
Figure 117: Readership of daily newspapers - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, October 2003
Figure 118: Those who have read/bought at least one book in the last month - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, age group and working status, 2003
Figure 119: Those who have bought at least five paperbacks in the last 12 months - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, age group and working status, 2003
Holidays
Figure 120: Number of holidays in the last 12 months - 18-25-year-olds, by gender, age group, working status and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 121: 'When I go on holiday I only want to eat, drink and lie in the sun' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 122: 'When I go on holiday I only want to eat, drink and lie in the sun' - all adults and 18-25-year-olds, by gender, 2003 113
Figure 123: 'When I go on holiday I only want to eat, drink and lie in the sun' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
The marketing perspective

The Future

Figure 124: 'I like to enjoy life and don't worry too much about the future' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 125: 'I like to enjoy life and don't worry too much about the future' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and working status, 2003
Debt
Education
Career
Property
Relationships
Having children
Figure 126: 'What I want most in my life is to have/raise children' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age group, 2003
Figure 127: 'What I want most in my life is to have/raise children' - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and living arrangements, 2003
Figure 128: Having children versus career success - 18-25-year-olds, by gender and age, 2003
Travel
Future imperfect?
Too many choices
Lack of direction
'We are getting older'
Figure 129: An uncertain future for the thresholders, 2003