The bar chart illustrates the results of a survey conducted among 1,000 adolescents in five countries regarding the age at which young people should receive certain rights and responsibilities. These include the legal age for marriage, voting, and criminal responsibility.
Overall, respondents in Japan believed that these rights should be granted at older ages compared with the other countries, while adolescents in the USA and Egypt tended to choose slightly younger ages for some responsibilities. In most countries, criminal responsibility was considered appropriate at a younger age than marriage or voting.
In the USA, the suggested age for marriage and voting was approximately 18 years, whereas criminal responsibility was thought to begin much earlier, at around 12 years. A similar pattern can be seen in the UK, where marriage was suggested at about 18, voting at roughly 16, and criminal responsibility at around 15.
In Mexico, the ages for marriage and voting were both close to 16, while criminal responsibility was slightly lower at around 15. Japan showed the highest values overall, with marriage at about 22 years and voting at roughly 20, whereas criminal responsibility was believed to begin at approximately 19. In Egypt, marriage and voting were considered appropriate at around 16-17 years, with criminal responsibility slightly lower.