Sharp rise in adults living with their parents, Australian Institute of Family Studies report finds

More people are staying at home into their 20s and 30s, and the trend has “accelerated” in recent years, a new report reveals.

The number of young people living with their parents into their early twenties has had its biggest spike in decades, new research has found.

The latest report by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) reveals 51 per cent of young men in their early twenties were living with their parents in 2021, up from 46 per cent in 2006.

The number of young women aged 20-24 living at home was up almost 10 per cent.

In the largest jump of any age group, 72 per cent of 19-year-olds were living with their parents in 2021 – a nine per cent increase since 2006.

Bella Jenkins, 22, lives at home with mum Adriana Tomaino. Picture: Nicki Connolly

AIFS report co-author Dr Lixia Qu said although young people living with their parents had been gradually increasing over many years, the 2016 to 2021 period showed the sharpest increase in recent decades.

“We can see this trend accelerating in the latest census, which might be an effect of Covid, or due to lack of affordable housing, or a combination of both,” Dr Qu said.

“Although more marked for the late teens and early twenties, the pattern of more young people living with their parents applies to every age until the early thirties.”

The report also showed a strong association between lower income and living with parents.

Young men aged between 20 and 24 living with their parents were about twice as likely to have a personal income of under $16,000 per year, compared to those not living with parents.

The report found a pattern of more people living with their parents, even into their thirties. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Among those living with parents between ages 25 to 29, 37 per cent had an income under $34,000 per year compared to just 17 per cent of those who did not live with parents.

Isabella Jenkins, 22, said she still lives at home to help save money while studying.

“Everyday expenses including petrol, food and public transport really add up and it makes sense to save while I can by staying at home,” she said.

“I’m in my last year of a teaching degree and completing an unpaid placement, so if I moved out of home and had to pay hundreds of dollars on rent a week that would be a struggle.

“I also love living at home with my mum. We’re really close and get along well.”

AIFS research director Dr Rae Kaspiew said while there could be many positives for people in their late teens and early twenties living with parents, it could also have unintended impacts.

“Leaving the parental home typically represents one of the main steps that young people make in the transition to an independent adult life,” Dr Kaspiew said.

“In some cases, when a young person moving out is delayed by months or years, it may lead to more challenging parent-child relationships, or an increase in conflict in the home.

“Differing opinions about habits and lifestyles, coupled with external pressures on the young person – for example, trying to save a house deposit – can all come into play,” she said.

“It’s important that communities and policymakers take into account the higher prevalence of this living arrangement, in terms of supporting families via strong mental health services, and other services they may need.”

The report also found young Australian-born men and women from culturally diverse backgrounds such as Asia, Middle East, North Africa and Southern and Eastern Europe were more likely to live with their parents for longer.

Living with parents was more common for young people who had a disability, and those who were non-Indigenous.