They are twentysomething, ambitious and confused. And they won't commit to anything until they are certain it will bring them enduring happiness. Meet the 'Young Experimenting Perfection Seekers' - Yeppies, as anthropologists are calling them.

Research shows that today's graduates are increasingly adopting a 'browsing' approach to choosing jobs, relationships, homes and life-styles. Far from knuckling down like their parents' generation, they believe true personal fulfilment can only come after years of anguished experimentation.

'Unlike the yuppies of the Eighties, who were motivated by money and status and knew how to get both, today's young adults are less certain and less single-mindedly materialistic than their predecessors,' said social anthropologist Kate Fox, of the Social Issues Research Centre, who identifies the 'yeppies' in a report, commissioned by online auction firm eBay.

'Yeppies are unsure how to achieve their ambitions so they experiment through a shopping-style approach, trying to find the perfect job, the ideal relationship and the most fulfilling lifestyle.'

They postpone big, life-altering decisions until they feel they have exhausted all their options. 'It will be increasingly regarded as normal for young people to continue "Life Shopping" well into their late twenties and thirties. The way things are going, by 2012 thirty will be the new twenty as the "official" age for transition to adulthood; people getting married in their twenties will be regarded as too young or too immature to make such a big decision,' Fox said.

The trend helps to explain why more youngsters live at home for longer. In 2004 about 40 per cent of men between 24 to 29, and 25 per cent of women in the same age group, were still there.

In every sphere of life the younger generation appears happy to procrastinate. The report says that the number of jobs young people have in their first three years of work has doubled since 1975, from two to four.

By 'trying on' a number of different jobs or career paths, they learn what they are good at and eventually discover who they are and what they want from work. They have the flexibility to change direction and move on when something does not work out, rather than settling for an unsatisfactory or unfulfilling job, the study suggests.

The twentysomethings use a 'mate shopping' approach to marriage. In 1971 the average man got married at 25 to a 23-year-old woman. By 2003 this had to increased to 31 for men and 29 for women.

In addition, since 1990 the average number of partners people in the 16 to 44 age group have is up from two to four for women and from four to six among men.

'What we are seeing is not aimless, random promiscuity,' Fox says. 'The majority still believe in marriage; they are just prepared to wait longer and, more important, to "try on" a number of relationships until they find the one that is right for them.'

They keep their options open over parenthood, too. The average age of married first-time mothers rose by almost six years - from 24 to 29.9 - between 1971 and 2003.

They have been called the 'Peter Pan' generation because they never want to grow up. But Fox believes their reluctance to commit is a major shift in aspirations.

'The something Yeppies are searching for may well be unattainable,' the study finds. 'But they have high - some would say unrealistic - expectations and they move from job to job, or from career path to career path, desperately seeking perfection.'

As one woman told the researchers: 'We have high expectations of personal happiness, which I don't think my parents' generation had.'

CV of a Yeppy

My name is Nicola Rogers, I'm 30 years old, and I trained as a nurse after leaving school. I worked freelance for the NHS for five years before giving up my job to travel in South-East Asia and Australia. On my return 18 months later I decided to retrain as a teacher and moved back in with my parents. I now live with my boyfriend in Hackney, East London, where I teach at a local primary school. I don't see myself doing my current job for ever. With teaching and nursing there are big demands on you, and I never feel like I am meeting expectations. I guess I'm not prepared to settle and do something for the rest of my life if I'm not happy and fulfilled.