Topic for Jan 21 (Tue)

[Kristin55]

Record Numbers of Young Brits Living With Parents

In some Western cultures, it's common for children to move out of their parents' home when they reach adulthood, and adults living with their parents can be seen as unusual or less socially acceptable.

But these days, living with parents is becoming more common for young adults in the UK, according to a new study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

"For my generation living at your parents' home in your 20s is not something shameful or abnormal," 24-year-old Tabitha-Levis Jarsdel told The Guardian in 2020.

These days, nearly 20% of adults in the UK aged 24 to 34 — about 1.7 million people — now live with their parents. This is the highest number in 20 years, fueled by increasing housing costs and low wages.

In areas like London, where rent is particularly expensive, young adults can save around $1,200 a month by living at home.

The young adults who return to live with parents after university, breakups, or other life changes are often called the "boomerang generation."

The rise of this "boomerang generation" may also be linked to changing lifestyle patterns. Many young people are postponing milestones like getting married or having children, which may be influenced by staying with their families longer.

Similar increases in young adults living at home can be seen in the US, Canada and Australia. However, rates in the UK are actually lower than in southern Europe.

And even within the UK, there's a difference between cultural groups. For example, many UK-born Bangladeshi and Indian adults aged 25 to 34 live with their parents — 62% of Bangladeshi and 50% of Indian young adults.

But for young adults who don't enjoy living with their parents, the study offers some hope: by age 34, only 9% still live at home, down from 43% at age 25.