This is evident from research by Rabobank.
Social norm
Dutch young people live at home longer on average than before, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands. Nowadays, more than half of Dutch people aged 24 and over have ‘left home’. It can feel like a social norm to leave home around this age.
Rabobank economist Nic Vrieselaar explains: “We do indeed see that housing shame is related to age. It is not the case that all older people living at home are ashamed of how they live, but they are significantly more ashamed than younger people living at home.”
Also working people living at home
Not all young people living at home are students. Of the young adults aged between 25 and 30 who are not in full-time education surveyed by Rabobank, almost one fifth still lives at home. Of this group, more than one third feel they have failed when it comes to their living situation. This is significantly more than people living at home between the ages of 18 and 24.
Housing market
The fact that many young adults still live at home is mainly due to the current housing market. People indicate that they cannot find a suitable home and that they do not have the financial resources to live on their own.
Vrieselaar: “The fact that so many young adults living at home mention the unaffordability and inability to find houses shows that the housing shortage and explosively increased rents and house prices also affect people living at home. The prospects are also bleak. House prices are rising sharply again, while housing construction is collapsing.”
Fighting for the same house
Thijs Geene is 22 and still lives with his parents. He is also affected by the housing crisis. “Yes, housing shame… I want my own place. My parents don’t bully me away, that’s for sure, but you just want to live on your own. You are ashamed because you are financially unable to find a home.”
And Thijs not only recognizes the financial argument, it is also difficult for him to find a suitable home at all. “I compete with friends from the village. So I fight for the same house in the village, and then it is embarrassing to see that a friend has deeper pockets and can buy a house.”
Not just disadvantages
Yet living at home does not only have disadvantages. One of the reasons young adults give for staying at home is to be able to save. Fixed costs are generally lower if you still live at home. 59 percent say this is a reason to continue living at home. Some also indicate that they simply find it pleasant.
2024-04-04 14:36:14
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