Conceptions of Adulthood among Chinese Emerging Adults

With the influence of globalization, Chinese young adults transitioning to adulthood today are cultivated by both traditional Chinese values (e.g., collectivism, Confucian philosophy), as well as Western values (e.g., individualism, independence). The present study aimed to characterize emerging adults’ perception of adulthood in China today in terms of: (1) the criteria for adulthood Chinese emerging adults considered important; (2) the relationships between subjective importance of adulthood status and status as a student or nonstudent; (3) gender; and (4) residency status (rural vs urban). Chinese emerging adults aged 17 to 30 (N=7099; 69% college students; 54% female; 57% with rural residency status) completed a cross-sectional survey between October-November 2021. We found that most Chinese emerging adults feel ambivalent about their adulthood status. The findings suggest that cultural and geographical differences exist between emerging Chinese and Western young adults in their perceptions of entering adulthood. Concerning the self-perceived adulthood status and the subjective importance of criteria, several differences were found among Chinese emerging adults based on gender (male vs female), residency status (rural vs urban) and educational status (student vs non-student).