The Pew Research Center has found that
the recession is strongly altering how younger adults live. The Journalism Center on Children & Families explained the U.S. Census Bureau figures behind the report:
"Approximately 15 percent of adults younger than 35 say they have postponed getting married because of the recession, and an additional 14 percent say they have delayed having a baby. According to studies conducted by Pew, 13 percent of parents with grown children say one of their adult sons or daughters has moved back home in the past year. Data also suggests that proportionately fewer young singles are living solo now than before the recession, with particularly steep declines among young women.
"Overall, the proportion of adults ages 18 to 29 who live alone declined from 7.9 percent in 2007 to 7.3 percent in 2009. Similar drops in the proportion of young people who live by themselves occurred during or immediately after the recessions of 1982 and 2001.
"The current decline has been particularly steep among young women; the proportion who live by themselves fell by a full percentage point to 6.1 percent. Among young men, the share living on their own fell 0.2 percentage points to 8.4 percent, a statistically insignificant change.
"While the recession has touched Americans of all ages, it has been particularly hard on young adults. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a smaller share of 16- to 24-year-olds are currently employed -- 46.1 percent -- than at any time since the government began collecting such data in 1948."
The Pew Center has provided some graphs that illustrate the study's findings.
You can see these graphs, and read more about the study, here.
