A survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau asked young adults about the importance of various life transitions. Here's what the young adults said about transitions were "extremely important" to them:

• Completed formal schooling—62%
• Employed full-time—52%
• Capable of supporting a family financially—50%
• Financially independent from parents—43%
• No longer living in parents' house—26%
• Getting married—12%

Blogger Rod Dreher comments:

Stunning. Less than half of Americans aged 18-34 say marriage and family are part of being an adult. All the other factors have to do with achieving personal autonomy. To be an adult, then, is to be free to exercise one's will independently of obligations to others, including spouse and children. To choose spouse and children—formerly the most distinctive marks of adulthood—is now considered ancillary to adulthood by most American adults.