2 out of 3 young adults living at home

Furze99

https://www.rte.ie/news/primetime/2024/0319/1438690-dating-to-dishes-the-reality-of-life-stuck-living-with-parents/

I knew the figure was growing but this is surely a major change across Irish society of recent decades. It's a staggering figure!

According to the 2022 Census, 522,486 adults or 68% of people aged between 18 and 34 still live at home with their parents. And that figure pretty much reflects our own family situation. 2 out of every 3 - shocking.

When we met back in the 1980s, we had both moved out of home and could readily find a place to rent whilst on modest wages. We also managed to save and buy a property in time. The expectation in time would be that our own children would seek their independence, we'd have an empty house - birds have flown syndrome. That we might need to downsize. But that's not how it's worked out. If anything, we need to upsize as adult children need more personal space than when young. The world has turned on it's head.

There's are all sorts of effects on young adults living at home that are well covered in the article above. You could also say that it's reverting to an older way of living where people didn't travel as much and lived in local communities - but even then when they coupled up, they'd have got a place somewhere local.

The government regularly spins numbers of new houses built and mortgages given to first time buyers but is there ever any breakdown as to nationality benefiting from this. I presume our many new non nationals on valid work visas working in tech and medicine etc are all included in these purchases & mortgages.

There's also a significant urban/ rural effect at play here. It's one thing to live at home with parents in or near say Dublin, Cork, Galway etc Ready access to a varied social life and work. Very different matter for those living at home with parents in rural parts, who are thus arguably a lot more disadvantaged in terms of work and social life.

Those 500,000 people aged between 18 and 34 are also eligible to vote. I know none of ours would dream of voting for any of the government parties, they talk of PBP and Sinn Féin etc. These 500,000 people also have parents and extended families who are looking on with concern and many of whom also vote.

This housing business and the squeeze on young adults has been an issue before but I see it really exploding now as an issue. There is no easy fix for the government and they insist on pouring petrol on the fire by actively allowing the population to expand.

Jinglejangle69

Hmmm I wonder what causes a shortage of housing.

It wouldn’t be the deliberate plan to increase the population and at the same time not meet the housing needs…

batman_oh

Sure just build infinitely more houses while simultaneously building them to give for free to every chancer that arrives. If you don't agree you are far right. We had 8 million before the famine and St. Patrick was an asylum seeker.

It's a shocking statistic, but not surprising really. On the plus side, we are really really really rich, the second richest country in the world I hear

laketreeroger

Not sure why you’d lump in 18yr olds with 34 year olds to be honest. Probably to get a nice big headline percentage. In reality they are nothing alike.

Vote4Squirrels

This Government - and the "opposition" (a laughable term) are destroying this country.

We've got three sources of income - multinationals who will be off the second it is financially preferable for them; tourism which is being decimated by every hotel being used for migrants, and taxpayers. Our young people will emigrate in numbers like never before (and before anyone thinks of a smart correlation - by getting a legal work visa and paying for themselves!).

It is bad enough for those with a loving family who will support them - what of those without ?

The next recession will be brutal but Leo et all can get their pats on the head from Europe and a cushy role they don't care.

hoodie6029

Build housing. Build plenty of apartments. We can’t have urban sprawl anymore.

Objections to ‘high rises’ in central locations and brownfield sites are ridiculous.

It was easier to get a room to rent 20 years ago and even 10 years ago but that’s all changed now. My advice to any young person stuck at home, urban or rural, would be to emigrate. You don’t have to stay away forever.

Going to college while you live at home is pointless, go to a college in a country where you can afford to live. You need to get out of home when you’re young. Houses won’t be built for years. Get out while you’re young.

The Irish Times seems to be the only outlet putting up positive emigration stories of Irish abroad from those away for decades and recent emigrants.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916293#Comment_121916293

It's just a statistical age band I think: 0-17, 18-34, 35-50, 51-65, 65+ etc Represents the broad stages in life.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058342625/2-out-of-3-young-adults-living-at-home

I watched primetime last night - I dont see what is wrong with living at home to save to buy a house. As long as both parents and adult children compromise on house rules it can work out well. I dont agree that previous generations were able to rent and save - most of my friends and relatives moved from their parents house to buying their own house and didnt rent. I agree though that getting the mortgage is harder nowadays. The biggest problem now is that young people dont want or know how to save - they want nice clothes, eating out, many holidays a year and a new car and if you are throwing money away on these things then it is going to take longer to buy that house!

Buying a house was never easy, now or anytime really - you just have to save, save, save and if that means living with your parents for a few years then its the sensible thing to do.

laketreeroger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916388#Comment_121916388

Ah fair enough, I’d be more interested in 25-34 living at home as I’d call them full adults.

Furze99

Thing is I thought our family situation was a bit unusual and even a bit peeved as you'd expect to have your 25yrs+ children 'off the books' by this stage of life. But it turns out this is in fact the new normal and lots of families must be like this.

Is anyone in government actually awake at the wheel? They must surely be aware that the knock on effects of this change are going to be significant. And WTF are they doing about it?

One eyed Jack

"There are more pros than cons to living at home. But being asked to fill up the dishwasher or make your bed can be a bit disheartening and frustrating for a 28-year-old."

The inhumanity 🙄

OP you do have a point, sort of, in that there are of course more Irish adults continuing to live at home with their parents than in previous generations, and there are more multigenerational households in Ireland now than in previous generations. It’s due however to a combination of factors, and not just the idea that the population is increasing as a result of immigrants from other countries who are not still living at home with their parents, and they’re not squeezing Irish people out of the property ownership and rental market sectors either.

There is also the fact that the population of Irish adults living longer than in previous generations is increasing, people who like yourself who own property and while you imagined downsizing at some point in the future, they did not, and do not imagine doing so, and they are quite happy to be surrounded by their family - their adult children and their grandchildren, as opposed to being shunted off to the cheapest old folks accommodation to live out the remainder of their days surrounded by drooling idiots… and that’s just the staff.

None of that reality however, will show up in incessant dramatisation and claims of various crises in the national media, aimed to put pressure on Government and influence the youth voters you refer to as though all those youth voters who are dissatisfied with their lifestyle and living standards, would favour the alternative of having to manage independently. If they have to be told to make their own bed at 28 years of age, then that may go some way towards explaining their frustration with their lack of independence.

SuperBowserWorld

People need to get away from home when they are adults and grow up.

Instead they are kidults forever and the hyper consumer culture we foster loves nothing more than sheep they can sell **** to.

I hope the generation who is being screwed over by older generations (who continuously vote for the status que) cause a revolution.

And a revolution in Ireland would be affordable house prices and rents.

We are a divided, selfish society who could never think long term as a nation.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916396#Comment_121916396

There is that sense of growing expectations in terms of consumer goods etc but that's only partially a factor. We never had difficulty renting as a couple and went through 4 places, you just looked in the small ads, phoned up and had a look. No queues or competition of any sort. We have two in this age bracket who were living independently for a while post study but who've had to move back home. Maybe depends of age of yours if you have any.

And now Leo is jumping ship I hear - the kettle is on the boil for this lot.

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916243#Comment_121916243

Given a local council can build a house in Dublin for half the cost an individual can, I wonder if the government is the main reason houses are so expensive and why young people can't afford to buy/build them?

Geuze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916253#Comment_121916253

We are not the second richest country in the world.

In the top 20 = yes.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916426#Comment_121916426

"There is also the fact that the population of Irish adults living longer than in previous generations is increasing, people who like yourself who own property and while you imagined downsizing at some point in the future, they did not, and do not imagine doing so, and they are quite happy to be surrounded by their family - their adult children and their grandchildren, as opposed to being shunted off to the cheapest old folks accommodation to live out the remainder of their days surrounded by drooling idiots"

Yes I agree to a certain extent, whilst I don't know your situation I can say that this revelation to us as a couple means that not only that we can't downsize - we actually have to spend a deal upsizing!! Of course this will vary from family to family and how many children you have. That considerable extra expense is not what we were expecting or planning for at all. It's all very well being surrounded by your family but if some are sleeping on the floor/ pull out couch, it's not great.

batman_oh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916476#Comment_121916476

Top 100 Richest Countries In The World - Global Finance Magazine (gfmag.com)

There were recent reports that said this. GDP per capita we are one of the top countries.

Thelonious Monk

I was lucky enough to be able to live at home on and off when I was in Ireland till I got my own place when I was 36, and was at home for the guts of two years saving for a deposit in the lead up to purchase. It's harder now alright with the lack of housing but paying rent and house sharing was never easy at any time, I was always broke too as I never earned that much.

I would imagine these figures are skewed by including 18-23 year olds in the same bracket as 34 year olds.

Jinglejangle69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916253#Comment_121916253

Please stop with this we are the richest country nonsense.

We are the highest debt per head in the EU.

Who’s all these rich you’re speaking of?

batman_oh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916599#Comment_121916599

I was being sarcastic, but it's been widely touted as a reason why we should keep saving the world/blowing money on things that don't benefit the people living here.

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916566#Comment_121916566

That is very misleading. It's based on GDP and that is an utterly bogus measure where Ireland is concerned. I think even GNI is probably inaccurate also. A lot of the worth of goods and services attributed to Ireland is dependent on IP owned and located in the US, but gets attributed to Ireland.

Probably a more meaningful metric would be the average net worth of individuals, in which case Ireland moves from a ridiculous second place to a more realistic 20th place.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/average-net-worth-by-country

Mrs OBumble

So back in the 1980s when there was scarcely a job to be had in the land, most young adults weren't living at home?

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916671#Comment_121916671

Take my own family - 4 older siblings had all gone by the stage I left and followed by 2 more. Some to the UK, others around the place.

batman_oh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916668#Comment_121916668

Yep, it's nonsense. We don't do nearly as well on purchasing power parity either (I think 39th in 2023).

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916386#Comment_121916386

For every positive emigration story there's an emigration story that ended poorly. Anyway I'd say it's just friends and family of journos that'll feature on these things.

The days of finding an affordable home anywhere, esp in the Anglosphere where most Irish gravitate are ending or over already.

SharkMX

Id buy that for up to 24 year olds. But mostly of the households im familiar with the kids are gone after they get their first job after uni - about 24 or 25. Some stay at home alright after that, but not even close to the numbers in the OP.

hoodie6029

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916771#Comment_121916771

As for the ‘tragic’ emigration stories, the same thing can happen to people here.

It’s all just MSM lies I suppose? Affordable rent and housing in other parts of the world.

But sure we should all follow your attitude of ‘why bother?’

SharkMX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916599#Comment_121916599

Ive been to a lot of countries around the world. I know its an Irish tradition to moan about how hard we have it, We are very well off in Ireland.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916454#Comment_121916454

The rental market was completely different in the 80's - no huge demand then for rental properties at all. I guess there may be a country/city divide attitude to moving out. I live in the country and moving out to pay rent wasnt the norm unless the family was very big or someone had to move out for work location - other than these reasons people stayed at home until they could buy/build.

I have 3 kids - the oldest is only 13 but I dont expect them to move out when they turn 18. I would much rather they stay at home, save and buy a house so that when they do leave it is permanent. If they want to move out then of course they can. I would hate the idea though of kids moving out young to rent and then having to return in their late 20s'/30s because they cant afford to buy. Paying huge rent nowadays for the sake of having independence doesnt make sense to me at all when they can live at home for nothing. Now I do understand that for adult children to live at home takes compromise.

The best thing you could do now for your kids is sit down with them and work out a plan on how they are going to save and achieve their goal of having their own home - paying rent should not be part of this plan. In the long run you will get your house back and your kids will own their own own home and happy lives. You are a good parent allowing them to continue to live with you 😊

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916671#Comment_121916671

My large family, some emigrated, bought houses, one council house, rented ... Only one has third level education direct from secondary school. No one at home. It was a small house and full of stress with such a large family and low risky income. Thanks Catholicism. So, everyone got out in their early 20s.