Half of Australians in their 20s are still living with their parents, while a record share of lower-income families are suffering housing stress as the social and economic cost of the housing affordability crunch mounts. Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
One of the nation’s most important social studies, The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, shows the proportion of people aged 18 to 29 years old living in the family home has reached 49.9 per cent, up from 39.4 per cent in 2001.
Young men are more likely to live with their parents than young women; 55 per cent of men aged 18-29 still live in the family home compared to 45 per cent of women.
However, the gender gap has narrowed – in 2001, young men were 11.9 percentage points more likely than women to live with parents, but that had fallen to 9.6 percentage points by 2024.
Melbourne University’s Dr Kyle Peyton, a report co-author, said housing costs were a major factor keeping young adults in the family home.
Most people aged under 30 who live out of home are renters, but the HILDA survey shows many of them are dissatisfied with their accommodation.
One in five young people not living with their parents reported their accommodation had “inadequate comfort” versus one in 25 who lived with parents.
The survey also revealed 36 per cent of private renters and 30 per cent of mortgage holders among the bottom 40 per cent of earners in mainland capital cities spent more than 30 per cent of disposable income on housing.
Households in the bottom 40 per cent of the income distribution that spend more than 30 per cent on rent or mortgage payments are considered to be in housing stress.
“Housing stress reached a record high in 2024,” the report said. “Renters, single parents and older singles have the highest rates of housing stress.”
The survey also drew attention to the consequences of a prolonged period of cost-of-living pressure. Nearly 8 per cent reported not being able to pay the mortgage or rent on time, the highest share since 2003.
The HILDA survey has tracked the same 9000 households since 2001; the newly published survey was taken in 2024, tracking almost a quarter-century.
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Priced out and staying put: Gen Z Australians are living with their parents in record numbers (By Matt Wade, Mostafa Rachwani and James Costa, Sydney Morning Herald)
