NYC ranked high with young adults living with parents: Study
Move Credit: (istock)
It's getting tougher for New York's young adults to leave the nest.
A study released this week found that three out of every 10 New Yorkers between the ages of 25 and 30 were living with their parents. That's the fifth-highest rate in the nation, trailing Bridgeport, Conn.; Honolulu; McAllen, Texas; and Miami.
Zhenchao Qian, a professor of sociology at Ohio State University, who wrote the report for the national population research study U.S. 2010, said that economics drove the trend.
With the cost of living so high, young adults are forced to find a secure place to live.
"When people don't do well, they go back to their parents. Their home is the safety net," he said.
Although Qian said living at home would help young adults financially in the long run, social experts are split on how it could affect their mental state.
Frank Farley, the former president of the American Psychological Association, said too many college graduates are delaying adulthood. By staying at home into their late 20s, they risk never growing up.
"It has to do with taking responsibility with your own life," Farely said. "People in that age range should be ready to be independent."
Qian, though, said that often an extended time under the same roof spurs a stronger bond between parents and children and helps them grow together.
Further, in New York, Qian said, the majority of the young adults living with their parents are minorities.
In many communities, living at home later in life is the norm.
"When more people say it's OK, there won't be that negative impact on [young] adults," Qian said.
Twenty-something New Yorkers living with mom and dad said there are lots of benefits to living with one's parents.
"It's definitely easier because my mom pays for everything," said Oliver Francisco, 21, of the Bronx.
However, fellow Bronx resident Victor Paulino, 20, said there are sometimes boundary issues with his mom.
"She can be so nosy. She wants to know everything that's going on with me," he said.
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