Young adults have become reluctant to fly the family nest

An article in The Economist has highlighted CPC research by Ann Berrington, Juliet Stone and Jane Falkingham, looking at the 'boomerang' generation.

The findings of the research have become increasingly important in view of recent policy changes relating to, for example, housing benefit for the under-35s and social housing. As the article in The Economist highlights, the number of Britons aged between 20 and 34 still living at home has increased by 28% to 3.2m since 1997, despite little change in the size of the population of that age bracket. The trend is accelerating: over the past year alone the number has increased by 6%. Around one in three young men and one in six young women now lives with a parent.

Dr Berrington's research has indeed shown that living in the parental home has become more common for those in their mid-twenties and early thirties. Although women still tend to leave home earlier than men and are less likely to return, gender differences are reducing as more young women enrol in higher education. The increase in higher education take-up has led to more people returning to the parental home, particularly young women in their early twenties.

It has also shown that there has been a shift towards living outside a family after leaving the parental home, which is again related to higher education but also to increased immigration of young adults into the UK.

In addition, the research has shown that economic factors are important for the delay in leaving home, including local house prices, as well as individual circumstances, such as being unemployed.

This research, along with other interrelated CPC projects, will be discussed at the 'Young Adults' Housing and Living Arrangements' event in London on 23 November.

To read more on the research highlighted in the article, see:

Berrington, A., Stone, J. and Falkingham, J. (2009) 'The changing living arrangements of young adults in the UK' Population Trends 138, 27-37.

Stone, J., Berrington, A. and Falkingham, J. (2011), 'The changing determinants of UK young adults' living arrangements', Demographic Research, 25: 629-666.

Posted 12/10/2012 10:54