What is the best age to get a job?

NEW YORK, New York, September 1st, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — The start of a new academic year brings with it a number of "firsts" that children may experience during the course of the next year, the most anticipated of which being the first day of school. However, should a student in the seventh grade be expected to do the same tasks as a senior in high school? Everyone has a general sense of what age children are considered mature enough to participate in certain first-time activities, such as receiving their first automobile or going to see a movie classified R. This holds true whether the activity in question is acquiring a car or going to a movie. In a recent Harris Poll, adults and adolescents in the United States were asked to share their opinions on the ages at which some behaviors may be considered acceptable for children. They also divulged when they had done each activity for themselves.

When it comes to applying makeup, the average age that people in the United States believe a child should be is approximately 15 years old (14.8). In a similar vein, the average age that women in the United States started wearing cosmetics for the first time was 14.7. Teenagers, on the other hand, have a distinct point of view and claim that they began when they were 13 years old, which is a substantially younger age than their adult counterparts. This may help explain why eight out of ten Americans (81%) believe that parents nowadays allow their children to wear cosmetics at an inappropriately early age.

It's possible that Americans may be apprehensive of other things taking place too quickly as well. In point of fact, the majority of adults (92%) believe that children in today's society mature too soon. When, exactly, should a child be able to do everything they want without consulting their parents first and be regarded an adult in their own right? The age of magic is often considered to be 18.8 years old. On the other hand, older individuals, particularly those who are 65 and older, believe that this number should really be 19.5, which is substantially higher than the average for younger people.

These are some of the findings from an online poll conducted by The Harris Poll® with responses from 2,463 people in the United States aged 18 or older and 510 adolescents aged 13 to 17 between July 14 and July 27, 2016. You can get the full findings of this research right here.

Flying alone

The typical American child is 11 years old when their parents believe they are mature enough to attend an overnight party. However, 13.5 is the ideal age to be able to be home alone without adult supervision. Teenagers are substantially more likely to claim to be significantly older than they really are than older Americans, defined as those aged 45 and over. This is despite the fact that many Americans claim they were permitted to remain home alone at the age of 12.5 instead of the legally mandated age of 13, which is now 14.

It's one thing to enjoy the luxuries of one's own house, but if a youngster dreams of going to their first concert all by themselves, they may have to hold up for a little while longer. Although the average age that Americans went to their first concert was 18 years old (17.7), experts believe that youngsters are genuinely ready to go to their first concert at the age of 16.5.

The feeling of love may be felt all around.

The average age at which Americans believe children are mature enough to go on their first date with an adult is sixteen. It's interesting to note that people of all ages generally agree on this point. However, there is no need to wait until the formal first date to have some face time with each other. The average age at which Americans say children are ready for their first kiss is 15, whereas the average age at which Americans themselves had their first kiss was 14.5

But before we go into it, let's speak about sexuality. The average age at which Americans believe children should get the "sex talk" is 12, which is one year earlier than the age at which they actually receive it (13.2 on average).

Viewing time

The amount of time that children should spend in front of screens and the ages at which they should be allowed to use various types of gadgets are topics that are highly contentious among today's parents. The average age that Americans believe children should be before they are allowed to use a mobile phone is 14. Parents who have children who are already adults feel that they should wait until they are 15 (14.8 on average), whereas parents of children who are younger than that say that they need them at age 13. (13.3 on average).

When it comes to movies, children of 16.5 years old are mature enough to see an R-rated film. However, older people in America are of the opinion that this age should be raised. Those over the age of 45 believe that the acceptable age for children is 17 (45-54: 16.8; 55-64: 17.0), whilst those over the age of 65 believe that the proper age is 18 (17.9 on average).

Within the driver's seat

Although Americans may believe that children are ready to start driving at the age of 16 (15.9 on average), the reality is that children are not ready for the responsibility of owning their own wheels until they are almost 18 years old (17.6 on average). Those who are 65 and older report an age that is much older than their contemporaries who are younger.

It is critical to focus on the Benjamins.

Who exactly is footing the bill for all of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences? The majority of Americans feel that a youngster is ready for their first work at the age of 15, at which point most parents continue to foot the tab for their children (15.5 on average). Before then, many children may be able to rack up the cash from their weekly allowance, which the majority of Americans believe should begin at the age of ten (9.8 on average).

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Methodology

This Harris Poll was carried out in the United States, online, in English, between July 14 and July 27, 2016, with a total of 2,463 adults aged 18 or older and 510 adolescents aged 13 to 17 years old. Figures for age, gender, race or ethnicity, education level, region, and family income were weighted where appropriate to bring them into accordance with their actual proportions in the population. This was accomplished by using the population as a reference. Adjustments were also made using the weighting of respondents' propensity scores based on whether or not they were online.

Whether or not they use probability sampling, all sample surveys and polls are susceptible to multiple sources of error, the majority of which are impossible to quantify or estimate. These sources of error include sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and error associated with post-survey weighting and adjustments. Probability sampling is the most accurate method for determining the distribution of a sample. As a result, Harris Poll steers clear of using the terms "margin of error" and "confidence interval" since they are deceptive. All that can be determined are the many potential sampling mistakes, each of which has a distinct probability when applied to unweighted, pure random samples with a response rate of one hundred percent. Because no published surveys even come close to meeting this criterion, they may only be considered theoretical.

Respondents for this poll were chosen from those who had previously participated in other Harris Poll surveys and given their consent to do so. The statistics have been weighted to represent the demographic profile of the adult population. [Case in point:] Because the sample is comprised of people who volunteered to take part in our survey, it is impossible to arrive at an accurate assessment of the theoretical level of sampling error.