Research
The Project
The term "emerging adulthood" refers to the newly investigated life stage between adolescence and adulthood --- the "in-between" age. This stage in life is often marked by many changes including higher education, marriage, careers, and parenthood. Existing research has uncovered themes such as identity exploration, self-focus, feeling in-between, instability, and possibilities. While many emerging adults experience a high level of optimism for the future, many experience a gap between their aspirations and their reality. Using a longitudinal approach, we hope to provide the most comprehensive description and explanation to date of how young adults successfully navigate these transitionary years.
READY uses self-report data from 2,000 emerging adults throughout the United States. Participants were weighted by gender, racial, and ethnic distributions, and other demographic characteristics. Annual surveys will be administered to explore changes through age 29.
If you are a participant in the READY study, thank you for your service. If you have questions about the study, feel free to contact us. If you need to update your contact information, please click here.