Abstract
College graduates and other young adults are moving with increased frequency back into their family homes and are living with their parents. According to data from the 2000 U.S. Census, in 1970 12.5 million 18–34 year olds lived at home, whereas in 2000 17.8 million 18–34 year olds lived at home (Furman 2005). A recent profile of the U.S. based on 2000 census data described our country as having about 67 million young adults aged 18–34. If 17.8 million of these young adults are living back at home, this is not an insignificant percentage. Indeed, about 26%, or just over one- quarter of all young adults are living at home with their parents. Attributable factors include financial problems such as credit card and student loan debt, dismal job opportunities and a tight job market, economic downturn, low salaries for entry-level jobs and high housing costs (Furman 2005). Some more traditional demographic factors include factors such as a delay in the average age of marriage for both men and women, multiculturalism, and the emphasis on intergenerational living. With multiculturalism, some traditional ethnic groups are still morally opposed to cohabitation and delayed home leaving has become increasingly common and is more likely among traditional ethnic groups due to cultural traditions (Landale and Oropesa 2007; Mitchell 2009).
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Farris, D.N. (2020). Boomerang Children. In: Farris, D.N., Bourque, A.J.J. (eds) International Handbook on the Demography of Marriage and the Family. International Handbooks of Population, vol 7. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35079-6_16
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