A new survey from Saga Home Insurance shows that 31% of over-50 parents surveyed have adult children living at home who had previously left the nest. I’ve talked before about how the most common reasons for adult children to return home are the end of schooling, a breakup of a live-in relationship or marriage, or a financial crisis like a job loss. Numbers from this survey back that up. Among the findings, as reported by the Telegraph:

• 10 per cent said they had made room for their children to help them cope financially.
• 17 per cent ended up with their offspring back under their roofs after they had gone through divorce or separation.
• 15 per cent of young adults were either unwilling or unable to contribute to the household bills.
• 17 per cent said their children had ended up living with them for more than a year.

You can read an article about the survey on the Telegraph web site here.

A study released last month in Australia shows that while some adult kids are moving home for financial reasons, some just like the fringe benefits that come with living with Mom and Dad. According to an article in the Brisbane Times:

The report found men did less cooking and cleaning when they were living with their parents than they did when living out of home. For men aged 20 to 24 the difference was more than two hours a week: those living at home spent three hours and 15 minutes a week on domestic duties. Those who lived away spent five hours and 25 minutes cooking, cleaning and gardening.

Are you providing extra “convenience” that’s keeping your adult kids at home too long?

In Australia, the Australian Temperament Project has been following the life of nearly 2000 Australians since they were born in 1983. Now 23- or 24-years old, these young adults are giving some input into how they view their relationships with their parents.

Here are some interesting recent findings from the Project:

• 88 per cent of young adults said they still counted on their parents for advice and emotional support, though only 70 per cent of parents thought of themselves as still helping in that role
• 94 per cent of young people said their relationship with their parents was important to them
• 84 per cent said their parents played a major role in their lives

The most recent findings are published in in the current issue of the journal Family Matters. You can read an article about the study here.

New results from statistics New Zealand show that 20% of 20- to 34-year-old men live with their parents — but only 13% of women in the same age range do. In Australia, 27% of men in the same age group live at home.

Here’s a quote from Bernard Salt, a social demographer, from an article from press.co.nz:

Men are living at home well into their 20s because they get free meals, free board, free laundry and free access to the family car. And you can have your girlfriend stay in your bedroom overnight, so why would you ever leave home?”

You can read the whole article in which Salt is quoted here.

According to a new survey from the National Retail Federation, 58.5% of college students will live with their parents this year:

12.8 percent of survey respondents say the economy will impact where a student lives, with many choosing to save money by living at home. Nearly three out of five (58.5%) college students will be living at home this year, compared to 54.1 percent last year and 49.1 percent in 2007. As a result, fewer students will live in a dorm room or college house (15.8% vs. 18.0% in 2008) and in off campus apartments or homes (22.4% vs. 24.3% in 2008).

You can read the full write-up of the survey here.

A new survey from VibrantNation.com, a website for successful women over the age of 50, has found that almost half of boomer women are supporting their adult children financially, and more than a third are dipping into their own retirement savings to do so.

Here are the key findings from their survey, which was sent to over 50,000 members, e-newsletter subscribers, Facebook fans and Twitter followers:

• You Never Stop Being a Parent: 44% of Boomer women report that they are helping their adult children financially and otherwise more than they anticipated or budgeted because of the economy.

• 24-Hour Mom ATM: More than one quarter of Boomer women are helping adult children with housing costs (29%) and daily living expenses (26%). Fewer, though still rather significant percentages, are helping with education (17%) and healthcare (17%) costs.

• Dipping into the Piggy Bank: 35% reported that they are using funds set aside for their retirement/future to help an adult child and/or grandchild.

• The Un-Empty Nest Syndrome: 37% of Boomer women say they have one or more adult child currently living with them. Of these, 29% reported that they charge their adult child rent and 16% have set a limit on how long the adult child can remain. Of those who said they had set a limit, 45% have extended their original deadline because of the recession.

As you’ll know if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, we recommend against dipping into retirement savings or otherwise compromising your own financial situation to support your adult kids. Help your kids in whatever way feel right for you, but remember to take care of yourself, too.

You can read more about the VibrantNation survey in their press release here.

Last year at this time, 500,000 adult children aged 18-34 were living at home in Britain. Now, according to a survey by Abbey Mortgages, the number has risen to 1.6 million. Plus, another 300,000 adult children aged 35 -54 are also living at home.

You can read more about this trend in a recent article from the Telegraph.

With Americans of all ages feeling the effects of the economic crisis and the plummeting housing market, mutigenerational households may become more prevalent in the coming years. AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for 50+ America, recently released the results of an exclusive new survey that looks at housing trends and how the economy may be impacting adults’ living situations. More than 1,000 people age 18 and older were surveyed about who they live with, how likely it is that they will need to move in with another family member or friend, and how comfortable they would be living with additional friends or family members if that would become necessary.

The results show a direct relation between a loss of income and young adults who are moving back home with their parents after a period of independence. Additional key findings include:

Multigenerational Housing: 11% of people age 50+ live with their grandchildren or their parents.

“Boomerang Adults”: 11% of people age 35-44 report living with their parents or their in-laws.

Why People Move: 34% of people who said that they would likely have to move in with family or friends said that it would be due to a loss of income.

“The recession is having an impact on people of all ages, and the effects are starting to be felt at home,” said Jim Toedtman, Vice President and Editor of AARP Bulletin. “We see more people living under the same roof as their parents and their adult children. As Americans face tougher economic conditions, we’ll likely see more of this.”

Results of AARP Bulletin’s Multigenerational Housing survey suggest that as jobs continue to disappear and the foreclosure crisis continues, millions of 50+ Americans will be living with their adult children and grandchildren in multigenerational homes.

Multigenerational Housing and Boomerang Adults

The survey found that that 4% of people age 50+ are currently living with their grandchildren. Results also showed 33% of respondents age 18-49 live with parents or in-laws. A further analysis of this group showed 11% of respondents age 35-44 live with parents or in-laws. Of those respondents, 9% report living with their parents and 2% reporting living with their in-laws.

Likelihood of Moving in With Others

When asked how likely it is that they may need to move in with family members or friends or have family members or friends move in with them, 15% said that it was likely. Among those who thought it would be likely, the largest percentage — about one-third (34%) — said it would be due to a loss of income, 19% said that it would be due to a change in job status and 8% cited home foreclosure as the reason.

Results also showed that respondents between 18 and 34 are more likely than older respondents to have already made such a move (20% vs. 9% for those age 35-44; 8% for those 45-54; 9% for those 55-64; and 7% for those 65+).

Comfort in Living with Additional Friends or Family Members

Roughly one in seven (14%) respondents said they would not be very comfortable, and nearly three in ten (29%) would not be at all comfortable living with additional friends or family members. In contrast, 14% said they would be extremely comfortable and 14% said they would be very comfortable if such a change in housing became necessary. More than a quarter (27%) of respondents said they would be somewhat comfortable with such an arrangement.

Additional information can be found in the March 2009 issue of AARP Bulletin at http://www.aarp.org/research/housing-mobility/affordability/multigen_housing.html.

AARP Bulletin’s Multigenerational Housing Survey was conducted by International Communications Research, Inc. (ICR) in January 2009. A short telephone survey among a nationally representative sample of adults ages 18 and older was taken to learn more about housing patterns and their options about how their own housing situation may change in the next year. The total sample consisted of 1,002 adults who are 18 and older.

Source: AARP/PRNewswire