Whether we like to admit it or not, Americans tend to be the butt of the joke when it comes to why young adults live with their parents. The expression “living in my parent’s basement” is one that almost every American is familiar with. This implies that millions of people are burdened by this particular situation. It’s embarrassing for young people to admit this because it’s a social norm for teens to leave the home once they turn 18 or graduate from high school.

Once people find out that they’re unable to move out and be independent, it could lead to the stigma that they’re incapable of being self-sufficient, and choosing to rely on their parents during a “critical” phase of adulthood can come across as embarrassing, regardless of upbringing. 

But the thing is, is this thinking still applicable today? The pandemic did a lot of damage to economies around the globe, so does this mean that we should all accept the new normal of the increase in young adults who live with their parents?

Why do young adults live with their parents?

Every person has their own story to tell about choosing to live with their parents. Some choose this kind of life due to financial strains, while others do it because they want to save money on electricity bills and rent. 

In all honesty, there’s no harm in living with your parents; it’s just that society has branded this kind of life as taboo. 

Today, the idea of young people living with their parents isn’t associated with shame anymore since everyone is well aware of the pandemic’s effect on the economy, which led to the loss of jobs and closing of campuses. Hence, young people have no other choice but to move in with their parents again. 

How much has the number of young adults living with their parents increased since the start of the pandemic?

The percentage of young adults that belong to the 18–29 year-old age range and live with their parents has significantly increased ever since the coronavirus started to spread. In the year 2020, in the month of July, statistics showed that 52% of young people resided with their parents. 

Additionally, according to the Pew Research Center, 9% of young people are either temporarily or permanently living with their parents as a result of the pandemic. A further breakdown of these statistics indicates that 23% of young people move in with their parents because campuses are closing, while 18% say they did so because they lost their jobs. 

These numbers have begun to lessen in 2022, now that we’re all settling into the new normal. In July 2022 alone, half of young adults lived with either one or both of their parents, in comparison to the 52% peak in the same month in 2020. 

Does the increase in young people living with their parents negatively affect society?

Now that the idea of young adults living with their parents has become the new norm, it’s slowly being embraced by a lot of people belonging to different age groups and races; however, not everyone agrees with this

When it comes to racial groups, 41% of Whites, 26% of Blacks, 28% of Hispanics, and 23% of Asians believe that young adults living with their parents is a bad thing. As for age groups, 41% of individuals aged 65 and older think that young people living with their parents is a bad thing. 

As for those aged 18 to 29, only 29% of them share the same sentiment as those aged 65 and older.

So this begs the question, does this notion affect society negatively? It depends. 

If you’re an adult with a well-paying job, then you’ll be thrilled to see what benefits lie in your wake once you decide to live with your parents. You’ll be stripped of responsibilities such as paying rent and electricity bills. 

If you’re a student, then you’ll be glad to live with your parents because you won’t have to pay for rent, transportation, and food. As for parents, reactions would be mixed. 

Some parents are thrilled to have their kids move back home, as this would grant them the opportunity to rekindle their bond with them. Meanwhile, parents who deliberately kicked their kid out of the house at one point aren’t pleased with their kid moving back in with them. 

Several headlines prove that young people who move back in with their parents are causing more harm than good. This one article says that working parents spend a whopping $1,000 a month on their adult kids’ bills. 

That’s not really a good thing for society in general, but then again, there will always be people who disagree with this. 

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