6 days ago
European young adults are delaying leaving home due to economic hardships
In Europe, young adults are leaving home later and later. But is this due to chronic laziness or economic constraints? Behind the cliches, lie profound social changes.
To separate fact from fiction, online psychology platform Unobravo analysed 10 years of official European data and surveyed 1,500 French people about their attitudes to leaving home.
The results of this research challenge preconceived ideas and reveal a Europe of varying shapes and sizes, where gaining independence depends as much on tradition as it does on financial resources.
The first finding is that the average age for leaving home is 26.6 in Europe.
This average masks huge differences between countries. While young Finns leave the family nest at 21.4, their counterparts in Montenegro wait until they are 33.3. That's a 12-year gap between Northern and Southern Europe.
With an average age of 23.5, France is closer to the Nordic countries than to its Mediterranean neighbours. This age has remained stable for 10 years, suggesting that this relative precocity is due to structural factors rather than recent economic fluctuations.
Beyond geographical disparities, the study reveals a constant throughout Europe: men consistently stay in the parental home longer than women.
In France, this difference is 1.3 years, with men leaving the family home at 24.1 years of age compared to 22.8 years for women. This gap may seem minor, but it reflects the persistence of different social expectations.
Women are often pushed towards independence and responsibility at an earlier age, while men benefit from greater family tolerance.
Staying in the family home is no longer seen as a personal failure but as a pragmatic choice in a difficult economic climate. Photo: Freepik
Money can be a barrier
But regardless of gender, the vast majority (59%) of French people surveyed believe that it has become more difficult than before to spread one's wings.
This is due to the surge in housing costs. Between 2015 and 2023, real estate prices jumped 50% in the European Union, according to Statista. This is enough to dampen even the most ardent desire for independence.
This economic reality explains the contrasting performances of European countries.
Finland, where property prices have risen by just 5.4%, can afford to see its young people leave home earlier.
It's logical that Spain, with 10.4% unemployment and a 47.7% increase in property prices, is seeing its young people stay in the family home for longer.
These economic difficulties are not only prolonging the time young people spend living with their parents.
They are also causing unexpected returns to the family home.
In France, one in five young people move back in with their parents after having tasted independence. For more than half of them, the reasons are purely financial.
For a third, it is loneliness or stress that drives them back to the security of the family home.
This phenomenon, amplified by the consequences of the pandemic, illustrates how fragile residential independence remains in the face of economic and personal uncertainties.
Fortunately, this change in behaviour is accompanied by a change in attitudes.
More than half of French people (55%) believe that society now accepts adults living with their parents more readily. Staying in the family home is no longer seen as a personal failure but as a pragmatic choice in a difficult economic climate.
This acceptance is encouraging new family arrangements, where intergenerational cohabitation can offer mutual benefits, such as financial security for young people and support for ageing parents.
This survey shows that leaving home is no longer just a matter of personal motivation.
Far from the cliches about lazy or spoilt children who refuse to grow up, a generation is emerging that is pragmatically balancing economic constraints with personal aspirations.
A generation that proves that when it comes to leaving home, there is no longer just one path, but multiple routes to independence. – AFP Relaxnews
