Liquid Adulthood Roundtable 🧊
To mark the launch of THE PEOPLE’s Liquid Adulthood, we convened a dynamic group of leaders and voices from different backgrounds, disciplines and industries. The breakfast roundtable inclu
ded contributors from JCDecaux, WPP Media, Westfield, Coppafeel, Diageo and The Design Business. More importantly, it was a diverse and intergenerational group – parents, non-parents, carers, people at different life stages and some actively rethinking their identity. The conversation was rich and multidimensional, but under Chatham House Rule we're not attributing specific comments to individuals. However, here’s an espresso shot summary of the conversation.
Welcome to Adulthood?
We started with an icebreaker exercise sharing our personal definition of adulthood and any milestones which marked adulthood. Contributors from immigrant backgrounds felt they grew up faster out of necessity – responsible for handling admin tasks for their parents. Some viewed having children and caring responsibilities as a marker of adulthood. Others shared how they don’t intend to get married or have children. Answers were varied, but a consistent theme emerged: adulthood doesn’t arrive in one big moment like in the movies but in phases across a continuum that is life. What emerged was a new type of adulthood where the group wanted to figure out what they want vs what is expected of them and considered “normal”.
Liquid Identity
Next, we shared more about our research and the concept of liquid identity. The idea is that the institutions which once orchestrated and anchored identity have slowly dissolved. Identity is no longer inherited but something we continuously construct, perform and update. A provocation which has stayed with us:
“Are the markers of Adulthood changing, or is the entry cost of adulthood much more expensive?”
Housing, education and healthcare are more expensive. Other contributors mentioned how brands now play an important role in identity formation.
“Brands are central because — back in my lifetime — you used to be able to tell what people listened to by how they dressed. Social media starter packs exist for a reason – you can picture the person from the brand in the pack. Brands are signals of identity now.”
However, using brands as a signal of identity and belonging can be a blessing and a curse. Brands are more powerful and play a more cultural role in people’s lives, but they’re also held more accountable. Gen-Z aren’t afraid to call brands out if they aren’t aligned to the values and world view.
Several contributors also mentioned how Gen-Z and Gen Alpha are turning to religion, even when they are not coming from religious households. For example, Catholicism is on the rise. In the UK, Catholics now outnumber Anglicans among Gen-Z two to one.
“In a world of uncertainty, people look for certainty - particularly religions that are strict and directional, because they offer something stable.”
Collective Experience
The topic of identity also transitioned into the need for more positive collective experiences. One contributor mentioned that the World Cup had created a different, more positive narrative of a country united while showcasing that the players came from diverse backgrounds. There was also mention of how the lack of shared experience can transform memory structures:
“Could nostalgia look different for young people? Because they don't have as many big, shared moments between each other.”
At the same time, we discussed how young people are actively seeking “the human touch”, community experiences and shared moments. There’s something special about IRL experiences; people want connectivity. However, we have to make sure IRL experiences are accessible to all young people and not to a privileged few.
“We need to consider the groups and audiences that face barriers to access. Young people who can't afford the bus fare to an activation or festival. Young carers who don't have the time. People with medical or mental health issues that limit them from going out even if they want to.”
Rethinking Progress
The final part of the session Liquid Foundations and how the very concept of progress is being redefined:
“There's a big thing now around nice little treats - the world's burning, you can't afford a house, but you can go to M&S and get a cookie.”
Small treats feel achievable and have become a modern form of emotional regulation and self-care. Another contributor compared it to the Lipstick Effect but now across all categories of life. Many mentioned how brands should offer entry-level experiences to young people.
“In my generation, buying into luxury meant perfume or small leather goods, because a full bag was unattainable. Now it's a biscuit and a coffee.”
We concluded with the idea that progress now looks different for a new generation – in many ways more cultural and experience-based, rather than focused on asset ownership. New markers of progress include how well travelled you are.
“I get jealous of people who've been to places like the Galápagos.”
Others mentioned the importance of autonomy and flexibility. For a lot of young people, being a digital nomad for six months, deciding your own working hours, deciding who you work for is a marker of progress.
“Markers of progress moving away from "I should have kids, a house, a degree in a certain subject - for me and people my age, a big one is giving zero fucks.”
We need new ways of understanding modern adulthood and supporting young people because the traditional structures and rigid norms and expectations are no longer relevant for a new reality. Young people are different because they’re growing up in a different time, and we all have a responsibility to understand what’s happening.
If you want access to the summary report, click here
If you want to be part of our future roundtables, drop us an email at kian@thepeople.work
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