Adults can contract without parental consent About 60% of young people who understand Japan Foundation survey

From April 1st, the adult age will be lowered, and 18 and 19 years old will also be "adults".

Various contracts can be made without the consent of parents, but the Nippon Foundation survey found that only about 60% of young people around the age of 18 understand this.

Due to the revision of the Civil Code, the adult age, which had been 20 years old for more than 140 years since the Meiji era, was reduced to 18 years old from April 1, and as of April 1, more than 2 million people aged 18 and 19 years old all at once. Become an "adult".

From the age of 18, the reduction

will allow minors to sign contracts without the consent of their parents, while minors will no longer be able to use the right to cancel the

contract

.

There are various changes

, such as the ability to qualify for .

In line with this, the Nippon Foundation conducted a survey on the Internet for people aged 17 to 19 in January, and received responses from 1,000 people.

As a result, when asked if they became adults suitable for adults at the age of 18,

▼ 47.9% of the respondents felt that they became adults, while

▼ 52.1% of them said that they were still children. I did.

Regarding awareness of system changes related to the revision of the Civil Code,

63.6% understood that contracts could be made without the consent of parents, and

▼ Women can marry from 16 years old. Only 59.4% understood that they would be raised to 18 years old,

only about 60%.

More than 80% of people know that they cannot smoke or drink alcohol even if the adult age is reduced to 18.

In addition, 60% of the respondents felt that they were in favor of reducing the adult age to 18 years old, while 40% felt that they were against it.

Expert "I haven't taken any measures."

Professor Chizuko Mura of the Faculty of Contemporary Law, Tokyo Keizai University, who is familiar with consumer issues, said in a survey of young people around the age of 18 that the understanding of the revision of the Civil Code has not progressed. However, there were some aspects that could not be effectively utilized, such as the difficulty of ordinary education due to the influence of the new corona, and the results show that measures have not been taken sufficiently. " I am.

On top of that, "It is important for society to fully listen to each person's anxieties and to continue efforts to get young people to think, and companies are 18 and 19 years old who lack knowledge and experience. If you have any concerns, new adults and their guardians should actively use the consultation desk, etc. "

Reducing the adult age What are the opinions sent to the NHK special website?

In the posting form provided on NHK's special website, various opinions were received from young people and parents regarding the reduction of the adult age.

How do you perceive "18-year-old adult"?

Of these, positive opinions about becoming an adult from the age of 18 are:

▼ "Be aware of rights and responsibilities early" (male in his 30s)

▼ "Young people's opinions are more likely to be reflected in society" (70) Men over their generation)

etc. were sent.

On the other hand, as a negative opinion,

▼ "I think it is irresponsible for adults to take responsibility for children immediately after graduating from high school" (male in their 20s)

▼ "We give priority only to adapting to overseas circumstances, social systems and customs There is no need to change the adult age without sufficient adjustment. ”(Male

in his 50s).

There was also a voice saying "I don't know", and the reason is

▼ "I don't think there is a big difference between 18 and 20 years old" (female in her 20s)

▼ "Each economic situation is different, so it is not possible to decide on a uniform age. It doesn't fit the reality ”(40s)

.

Realization of becoming an adult

We asked them to give us their opinions about when they realized that they had grown up and when they might feel it in the future.

At the ages of 18 and 19, there were voices such as ▼ "

When I entered a bar or barber shop alone"

▼ "When I became a university student" ▼ "When

I used online shopping"

.

In the voices of people in their 20s and above,

▼ "when I worked for a company" and

▼ "when I got a salary" were

received from a wide range of generations.

Also,

▼ "When you pay your pension" (male in your 30s)

▼ "When your daughter is born" (male in your 40s)

▼ "When you live alone" (female in your 50s)

▼ "Right to vote" (60s )

There were also opinions such as (

male) .

In addition, "I thought I could grow up at the age of 20, but at the age of 30, I thought that my 20s were still children. But at the age of 40, I thought that my 30s were still immature. I became an adult many times. When I look back on it, I think I was young. It may be the same in the future. "

What is your ideal adult?

In the submission form, I also asked about the ideal adult.

In addition to celebrities such as Ichiro who was active in the Japanese and American baseball world and actor Shun Oguri, there are many people who mentioned their parents such as fathers and mothers, and there are also familiar people such as teachers and colleagues. I did.