The economic crisis has had a significant and lasting effect on the lives of young people, as more than one in four now live with their parents, according to official data.   The number of 20-34 year-olds in their family home has jumped by 669,000 since 1996, the Office for National Statistics has found.
This is despite the number of people in this section of the population remaining largely the same. There are now 3.3 million living with their parents, up from 2.7 million in 1996.
The highest increase has been among 20-24 year-olds – especially in the last five years. In 2008, 42% of 20 to 24-year-olds lived with their parents, but by last year the percentage had increased to 49%.
It’s thought that the economic crisis is a large underlying factor, as the number of unemployed people aged 18-24 has increased from 13% to 19% during the same five years. 

Young men are far more likely to live with their parents, with one in three staying put, compared with one in five women.
However, this is not because young women have greater economic success, but because they are more likely to be in a relationship and living with their older partner or because they are a lone parent.
In fact, 600,000 more women aged 20-34 were found to be living as part of a couple than men, and on average women are more likely to have a relationship with a man older than themselves, according to the ONS.
There were nearly as many women who were lone parents in their own household. And it was also found that women are more likely to be in higher education, in the process leaving their parent’s home.

In spite of the huge cost of either buying or renting in London, it has the lowest percentage of young adults living with their parents at 22%. Mainly because the capital has a large influx of young people moving from other areas for work or study, said the ONS.
On the other hand, the region with the highest number of young people living with their parents was found to be Northern Ireland.
This is because it’s easier to commute to work or university from the family home. And because cohabitation among couples is much lower – even though the average age for a first marriage in Northern Ireland is lower than in England and Wales.
This suggests a more traditional picture of family life, where the time between leaving home to marry or cohabit is shorter than elsewhere, said the ONS.

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