Final answer:
The most common lifestyles for Americans in their early 20s are cohabitation with a long-term partner or living with parents or relatives. This shift away from immediate marriage and parenting is largely due to changes in societal norms and prioritization of personal goals such as education and career.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most common lifestyle for Americans in their early 20s today differs notably from past generations. Recent studies indicate that many young adults are choosing to delay traditional milestones such as marriage and children. While the five milestones that once defined adulthood were completing school, leaving home, financial independence, marriage, and having children, Millennials are meeting these milestones at a later age, if at all. Cores of the issue include changes in the perception of marriage and cohabitation.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau and other surveys, the trend for young adults is leaning more towards cohabitation with a long-term partner rather than immediate marriage and children. Cohabitation has become more common, with a significant increase in the number of 25- to 34-year-olds living with a romantic partner without being married. This shift correlates with a growing societal acceptance of unmarried couples living together and the concept that marriage is becoming somewhat obsolete for some people.
Furthermore, the increase in cohabitation is reflected in the fact that many couples view it as a 'trial run' for marriage. With the rise of education and career priorities, alongside societal shifts, the delay in marriage leads to a higher percentage of young Americans cohabitating or living with parents or relatives well into their 20s. Thus, the most prevalent lifestyle among early 20-somethings in the U.S. can be considered cohabitation with a long-term partner or living with parents or relatives, often while pursuing individual goals such as advanced degrees or careers.