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HOUSING HAS BEEN high on the agenda during this general election campaign and all of the main parties have regularly raised the difficulty for young adults in finding an affordable place to rent or buy.
In particular, many – including Fine Gael – have spoken about those who are either still living with their parents, or who have moved back home, because of soaring rents and property prices.
At the launch of her party’s manifesto this week, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said a whole generation of young people “are now locked out of home ownership, thinking about emigrating and moving back in with their parents in their thirties”.
So, exactly how many young adults are living in the family home?
The Home Sweet Home campaign recently claimed that as many as 70% of under 30s in Ireland live with parents.
We asked HSH where this figure came from and they cited Eurostat figures from 2018.
The Eurostat figures show 78% of 16-29-year-olds in Ireland were living at home with their parents in 2018. This compares to the EU-28 average of 67%.
The Eurostat data does not single in on the 18-29-year-old group, so the above figures include teenagers as well as young adults.
And it is not unusual for teenagers in Ireland to remain living with their parents up until they turn 18 and beyond.
According to this data, 40% of 25-29-year-olds were living at home.
The 2016 Census in Ireland also looked at this area.
It found at the time that there were 344,362 people aged 18-29 living with their parents. This accounts for 50% of the adults aged under 30.
The total number of over 18s living at home was 458,000 – 58.6% were men. In terms of principal economic status 215,088 were at work while 66,516 were unemployed. A further 152,269 were students.
While there were 23,571 persons at age 25 living at home this had fallen to 11,299 by age 30.
Five years earlier in 2011, 43.5% of 18-29-year-olds were living at home, according to the CSO.
There are no more recent figures for 18-29-year-olds, but the rise in Census statistics since 2011 and the numbers cited in the Eurostat data give an indication of an increase over the years.
Promises
The parties’ election manifestos all contain policies aimed at addressing the shortage of and affordability of housing in Ireland.
These are just some of them:
With one week left to go now in this campaign, housing is likely to continue to dominate the agenda right up until people step into the polling booths.
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It’s remarkable how little this country cares for its youth, the last decade has been really brutal for anyone under 35 and the housing, social and pay issues still remain. The cost of that will be seen politically in the coming years with much more radical voting trends from a demographic feeling completely abandoned by the centre parties.
@Rochelle: I’m under 35 and the last decade has been absolutely fine. You see I have a good education and I was able to get a good job.
I’ve never been unemployed, moved out of home when I was 23. Have saved for a mortgage when renting. All through hard work
@Joe: I have a good education as well with a Masters but still had to move to Dublin for employment since entry positions weren’t exactly plentiful in Munster given the recession and FG’s refusal to invest outside the pale. I got some experience over there but didn’t earn much to start a mortgage given the exorbitant rental costs.
All the while my friends had to either migrate from their home to Dublin or leave the country entirely due to a lack of entry level opportunities so the community back home around that age group has completely collapsed.
You should try being a nurse for example and renting from a Dublin landlord and see how far your “hard work” gets in terms of affording a home.
@Rochelle: Well said.
@Joe: Well kudos but you’re an exception.
@Rochelle: I’m 40 and buying a house was always hard.
I spent my 20s living in large house shares, often the box room with 4/5 people. Shared rent and shared bills, head wrecked, but, saved for 5 years for my deposit as there was no inheritance waiting for me or big paying job, had a banger of a car etc. When We bought our house We still had to rent out the spare room for first 2 years.
If your living at home, make the most of it, save your money and enjoy the time with your parents. I don’t see the shame in living at home, if my circumstances were different, I would have happily and proudly lived at home. My parents and I lived with my grandparents til I was 6 and it was great for me and my siblings (as a kid!)
@Rochelle: I’m 40 and buying a house was always hard.
I spent my 20s living in large house shares, often the box room with 4/5 people. Shared rent and shared bills, head wrecked, but, saved for 5 years for my deposit as there was no inheritance waiting for me or big paying job, had a banger of a car etc. When We bought our house We still had to rent out the spare room for first 2 years.
If your living at home, make the most of it, save your money and enjoy the time with your parents. I don’t see the shame in living at home, if my circumstances were different, I would have happily and proudly lived at home. My parents and I lived with my grandparents til I was 6 and it was great for me and my siblings (as a kid!) i
@Bleurgh: it’s ok to spend most of your twenties in a house share but unfortunately these days professionals in their 30s have to do it and people on minimum wage live in dormitories. If you’re single it’s especially difficult.
@Bleurgh: Absolutely agree. When I came home back from university my job didn’t pay enough for me to rent, so I lived home with my parents. When I met my boyfriend in my late twenties, he was housesharing, and the two of us were renting until our older child was one. We bought our house when we were in our mid thirties. I am not saying everyone should do the same, but it didn’t seem so big a deal, and we still remember fondly certain attic in Ranelagh.
@Rochelle: In the modern world you can’t expect jobs to come to you. Large companies and the people who work for them don’t want to be based outside of Dublin.
Look at Paris or London, exactly the same thing happens.
@Joe: Oh it’s been fine for you has it?Well then problem solved!Oh sorry I forgot your not the only person in the world!That education and hard work hasn’t done much for your selfish attitude.
Hey how many adults over 40 are still living at home
I’m 25 and my partner is 26 we’re about to move back in with my parents to save. I know multiple couples having to do the same.
@Shannon Cassidy:
Best of luck to you both Shannon, I’ll be voting for change on Saturday, hope it makes a difference.
@Cormac Laffan: Change ain’t no Party I know! Shinners always banging on about change! What change? Specify.
@Ebaneezer Goode: Change of party
@Shannon Cassidy: Wonder would the stats count your partner as “living with parents”?
Would the more relevant question not be how many adults OVER 30, though??
If I was to rent in my area
single room €350-450 a month
Double about €6/700 a month
Apartment 1k min
Iv worked since I was 15, full time since I was 18.
I earn just over min wage. I couldn’t afford my own place.
My mother raised me on her own since I was 6. She payed the home loan on her own until I turned 18.
I would hand over £50 each week (only earning £120 a week)
Eventually I ended up paying the full repayment each month on a 40k loan taken out in 1989 and in 2010 it was finished.
I still live with here and we share the bills.
She had open heart surgery last year and got no home help so only for I was there I don’t know what would have happened.
She has mobility issues as well so to a degree I’m her home help.
40 year old livening with his 76 year old mother.
@Stealth: you could have done a course, you would have qualified for a college grant or online study. If your mam has a medical card you have to insist on distrust nurse visits. Are you her official carer? If not you must say you cannot care for her due to work obligations and insist on home help. They only listen when you insist.
What about the thousands of hidden homeless families who have had to move home to their parents house because they can’t afford a mortgage or rent? Those stats won’t paint a pretty picture.
We all know what’s going on here, there’s unemployed foreign nationals that are housed in many salubrious areas of Dublin.
@Hope Down:
@Hope Down: Yeah, let’s blame the pesky foreigners. Not the politicians who got us here!
What a surprise, Sinn Fein are the only party “claiming” something, while everyone else has either promised or committed…
@Claire: ha haha haha ooh hehe
What has suddenly become so wrong to have your children living at home with you?
@Ursula: When would be a good time to move out? 40? 50?
@Ursula: it’s ‘wrong’ when so many young adults cannot afford to rent and learn a bit of independence like previous generations.
@Ursula: When your house is too small to cater for three working couples and a grandchild, and you can’t get planning permission for an adequate extension for example. Also the absolute stress of living on top of each other with little privacy doesn’t help either.
@Ursula: Over 18 ‘s arent’ children !
And then there are guys, 28 years in a retail managerial position for last six years driving a modern large sports Audi and living at home paying 100 Euro a month to mother. Almost forgot has a modified car which he brings to Mondello race track at his leisure at cost of 600 Euro a pop.
@Alan Deady: Otherwise known as a free loader.
@Alan Deady: hahaha you clearly never been to Mondello.
What kind of question is this ? So what if people that age are living at home at 30.
Could be many reasons why .
Ask yourself why .Then think about it ,it’s not all about homeless people .
@Ann Nugent: when many of us know that the reason their family members are living at home is because they can’t afford to pay exorbitant rents and save, we don’t need to ask the question why.
@Ann Nugent: homeless are one end of the housing crisis and 30 year olds living at home and 40 year olds in houseshares are the other
Who really cares
@John Murt: You will when it’s your turn.
“Oh it’ll never happen to me”
It will.
@John Murt: A lot do. I bought my first house at 26 turning 50 now. it Was reasonablely affordable. I pity the young people now.
Anyone think it’s odd that 10% more men live at home than women?
@Conall: Just guessing but lot of girls go for older guys and vice versa.
Of my Dublin friends now at 30, only one has a place to rent by themselves. The independent life I have with a roof to myself is due to me emigrating. Living with parents is definitely the new normal in Ireland, and its a shame because most want to get a place to live, be it on their own or as a couple.
@Paul Cunningham: I’m not sure it isn’t the ‘always normal’. In my experience people who went to college or work near their family homes tended to stay there until such times as they were in a committed relationship and wanted to buy or rent with that person.
Too f……g many
In Ireland it is no shame for twentysomethings to live in their parents’ home. The sense of family is still strong in Irish society despite the change in attitudes to cohabitation and marriage. In dysfunctional and impoverished households the grownup children are not able to contribute financially to household expenses, and this is a factor in criminality and social depression. The housebuilding industry is largely private enterprise and aiming at maximum profits, so young couples are kept out of the housing market, especially in Dublin. The state needs to get robustly into the housing sector to correct the social imbalances caused by the laissez faire ‘market forces’ attitude.
@Garreth Byrne: it’s a protestant thing but since our media is American and British people have picked up the value.
lefty liberals can’t make their beds,totally independent anyways
The Irish Housing Crisis is due to a Defective Constitution which has led to:-
https://www.change.org/p/irish-housing-crisis-referendum-on-family-homes
- No Affordable Homes within the ownership reach of those on average incomes (€35,000 pa).
- Evicted Homeless
- Rack Rents
A Referendum is required to fix the defective Irish Constitution to put a framework in place (like Germany) to deliver affordable homes, both social and private, for ALL Irish citizens – (and ultimately ALL EU citizens ). Like Germany, this special provision for ALL Family Homes would not adversely impact on general property rights.
Please please sign the Petition and please please bring your brains to the Polling Booth.
Living at home while trying to save for a deposit makes sense. As long as respect is shown to the parents , and that the parents are not out of pocket especially if they are on a low income . Most parents are glad to help out , and they are giving their adult children a deposit by accommodating them for a while.
It’s a ridiculous question. 60+ per cent of the country (north and south) are under 30.
@Caoimhín Ó Seanáin: logic much? The stat is about the portion of those u30s that are living with parents… it is irrelevant how big the population of u30s is.
@Caoimhín Ó Seanáin: Really?
That explains the rise of SF so, beware the under 30′s!
@Cormac Laffan:
Bhuel lads that’s the way it is. I’m not a Shinner but I certainly believe we need a change in the south. The FF’s and FGer’s have done nothing but line their own pockets. (CHARLIE AND HIS PRIVATE ISLAND AND MADE-TO-MEASURE shirts).
Think Cruise-O’Brien and clueless Kenny.
They could not and never did give two balls of roasted snow for their fellow country women and men who still have to swallow the ignominy of sending a Greeting of any kind without the head of the queen of england on their card or envelope
When two income households became the norm, two incomes became the requirement to have a household. Every last cent squeezed out. The problem is that not everyone is in a relationship or married, not all relationships are permanent but the mortgage isn’t going anywhere, and if kids come into the equation the maths is suddenly figuring out if having a job is too expensive because you have a second mortgage payment for someone to watch the kids.
Unsustainable. Yes home ownership is achievable and some people do very well and that’s great, but for the vast majority it’s a pipe dream. I know of people living abroad who want to but can’t come home because there’s nowhere to live. Average wage vs average mortgage doesn’t stack up.
The Shinners spoofing again! Don’t vote Sinn Fein!
@Ebaneezer Goode: Maybe spoofing. But FFG have proven they can’t solve the housing crises so they don’t need to spoof.
@Ebaneezer Goode: er, shut up
@Lar: Lars trying to explain why his form of discrimination is ok while others are not is the best part of this thread!
Thank God his IQ is high enough to deal with such a conundrum.
Awwww, where did Lars go?
Mary Lou for Taoiseach
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