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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for May 9, 2017
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
May 9, 2017: Thirty-one percent of young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 live with their parents, while 20 percent live with a spouse. That’s a dramatic change from 1975, when 57 percent lived with a spouse and 26 percent lived in their parents’ home. Much has been made of the growing number of young adults living with their parents, but, in reality, it’s the changes in marriage norms that reflect the greater difference.
| Where have young adults (ages 18-34) been living? | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 2016 | |
| Spouse | 57% | 20% |
| Parents | 26% | 31% |
| Other | 11% | 21% |
| Alone | 5% | 8% |
| Unmarried partner | 1% | 12% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau | ||
The relatively modest increase in the number of young adults living with their parents (from 26 percent in 1975 to 31 percent today) is most likely the result of a potentially misleading methodology. If a college student is living in a dormitory, the Census Bureau counts them as officially living with their parents. And, as yesterday’s Number of the Day showed, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of young adults attending college.
The real change is the decline in the number of young adults who live with a spouse. Most of that change—from 57 percent in 1975 to 27 percent today—is driven by a dramatic increase in the number of unmarried couples living together. While less than 1 percent of young adults lived unmarried with a partner in 1975, 12 percent of them do so today. Also, the number living in “Other” arrangements has nearly doubled, shooting up from 11 percent to 21 percent during that same time frame. These "Other" arrangements include living with relatives or unrelated roommates.
These trends reflect a deferral in marriage, but not a rejection of it. The Census Bureau reports that “young adults are still starting relationships at the same age that their parents did, but they are trading marriage for cohabitation.” Back in the 1970s, “8 in 10 people married by the time they turned 30. Today, not until age 45 have 8 in 10 people married.”[1] In my forthcoming book, Politics Has Failed: America Will Not, I define the 1970s as a pivotal decade that began a “Great Turnaround” in American society. The book shows the importance of noting societal changes because the culture leads and politicians lag behind.
- May 8, 2017 66 percent of young adults have attended college—up from 43 percent in 1975
- May 5, 2017 69.7 percent of 2016 high school graduates are in college
- May 4, 2017 241 years ago today Rhode Island declared independence from Great Britain
- May 3, 2017 45 years since a majority of Americans have trusted the federal government
- May 2, 2017 97 percent of women who strongly supported Trump in 2016 satisfied with job he's doing
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
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