So much for flying the nest! Number of ‘boomerang children’ who still live with their parents has soared by a million in just two decades
- More than a quarter of those aged between 20 and 34 are still in the family home
- Parents in London were the most likely to be affected by the soaring numbers
- The UK is home to about 3.4million who bounce back to home after university
The number of young adults living at home with their parents has risen by more than 40 per cent in two decades, a study reveals.
More than a quarter of those aged between 20 and 34 are still in their family home – meaning the ranks of the ‘boomerang generation’ have swelled by almost a million.
Today’s report by the think-tank Civitas found the share of young adults living at home rose from 19 per cent to nearly 26 per cent between 1998 and 2017.
It revealed the UK is now home to around 3.4million ‘boomerang’ children – so-called because they bounce back to the family nest after university – up from around 2.4million in 1998.
The number of students returning home to live with their parents after university has soared by a million in two decades (file photo)
Many parents fearing ’empty nest’ syndrome after sending their children off to complete a degree have seen them return without work – or wages high enough to afford rent elsewhere.
Parents in London were the most likely to be affected, with the number of those still at home up 41 per cent.
Elsewhere, where house prices are lower, young adults are more likely to go their own way. In the North-East, the numbers living with their parents rose by a more modest 17 per cent. In Yorkshire and the Humber it was just 14 per cent.
Parents in London were the most likely to be affected by children coming back home after studying (file photo)
The report, based on ONS figures, found the proportion of Britons living alone has plateaued at about 30 per cent, compared with more than 40 per cent in Germany and Denmark.
Civitas spokesman Daniel Bentley said: ‘As owner-occupation and social housing has become more difficult to enter, hundreds of thousands of young adults have taken one look at the high rents in the private rented sector and decided to stay with their parents a bit longer instead.’