A little over a year ago, my sister moved back in with my parents. About five months ago I did the same. At the time, I thought we were probably in the minority. According to an article published today in the Vancouver Sun, it turns out I might be wrong.
The article is based on a study by Stats Canada. Here’s an excerpt from the piece:
“In fact, nearly half of Vancouver-area parents with children in their 20s and 30s — 46 per cent — have at least one kid still living under their roof.
That’s well above the national average of 32 per cent and just behind Toronto at 54 per cent.”
In both Vancouver and Toronto, half the parents in those cities still have an adult child living at home. That stat is amazing because I just don’t know that many people who are in the same situation as I am. Granted, I know a lot of grad students, so by definition, they’ve travelled to Vancouver for school. I can only think of one other person who lives at home still. Where are all these people? And is there a support group for us?
The article also tries to explain why kids are staying at home. One reason is the high cost of housing in Vancouver. As many of you know, it costs an arm and a leg to even buy the crappiest of houses in East Van. The second reason given is cultural:
“Indeed, Turcotte’s study found parents born in Asia were three times more likely to have adult children living at home than parents born in Canada were.
Of those parents who immigrated from Asia since 1981, 82 per cent had at least one adult child living at home.”
One stat that speaks to my sister and I specifically is that 25 percent of parents have “boomerang” kids. These are children who have left, only to return after whatever reason, eg. failed marriage, bankruptcy, WoW addiction, etc. I did not realize a quarter of all parents now have at least one these kids. That again, is amazing.
Here’s one last quote from the article and this is perhaps the most eye-opening one:
“The Statistics Canada study found income and education levels appear to have no impact on the likelihood of an adult child sticking around.”
Really? You’re telling me that if a child makes $35K a year or $70K a year, that won’t factor into the person’s decision to stay at home. Hmmm… I dunno… that’s the only reason I’m sticking around. Well, if I were making $70K a year, I might stick around for a few months to save up but nothing long term.
Alright, the stats don’t lie. I know you people are out there. Don’t lie to me! Who else still lives with their parents? And don’t give some crap about not cooking with cheese.