Instead of getting a job after college and supporting themselves, many young people of this generation choose to continue living with their parents.

In the UK, for example, there are 620,000 more adults living with their parents than a decade ago. In the USA, the percentage of young adults living with their parents has increased by 87% over the last two decades, according to the US Census Bureau. Currently, more than half of young people aged 18 to 24 in America live with their parents.

In a recent survey conducted by RentCafe, 41% of adult respondents from Generation Z who lived with their parents said they didn't plan to move out for at least another two years.

In 2022, Moody's reported that for the first time, a renter in the United States spent over 30% of their income on rent.

Just before the recent market peaks, HotPads estimated in 2018 that Generation Z would spend $226,000 on rent during their lifetime - about $24,000 more than millennials and $77,000 more than baby boomers.

This has created significant pressure on young people in their daily lives. In a survey conducted in 2023 by Bloomberg News and Harris Poll among 4,100 adults, 70% of young people aged 18 to 29 living with their parents said they wouldn't be able to afford living on their own.

"I work in the same area where my family lives. I can't justify moving out and paying exorbitant rent just for a bit of extra space", said one Generation Z individual, according to Insider.

The average age of homebuyers reached 36 last year, according to the National Association of Realtors.

More than a third of Generation Z respondents in a 2022 survey said there was something they thought they'd never achieve.

Following the Great Recession, millennials were the first generation not to leave home, and now Generation Z is following in their footsteps.

But unlike millennials, who were called lazy for living with their parents until they were 20, young people from Generation Z who stay home with their parents are seen as "cool".

In the context of the current global situation, older generations are beginning to understand that it makes sense for young people to stay home to save money. However, this comes with disadvantages.

Living on your own is an important step towards adulthood, and research indicates that those who delay leaving the nest will pay later - financially and emotionally.

Historically, more young people have stayed with their parents during periods of economic uncertainty. In 1940, at the end of the Great Depression in the USA, 48% of young people aged 18 to 29 lived with their parents - a rate that was not surpassed until 2020.

In the Bloomberg-Harris Poll survey, 40% of young people said they feel happy living with their parents, while a third said they feel smart for choosing to live with their family.

And 87% said they believe people shouldn't be judged for living with their parents.

In a Pew survey conducted in October 2021, more than a third of Americans said they believe it's bad for society for young adults to live with their parents. Only 16% said it's a good thing. Given the very high rental prices, many young people feel they have no choice.

A 2019 report by the Urban Institute found that those who lived with their parents between the ages of 25 and 34 were significantly less likely to be homeowners 10 years later.

The study compared people who rented or bought their own homes with those who lived with their parents. It found that after a decade, 32% of young adults who initially lived with their parents had not yet achieved independence, while almost all of those who rented or owned homes previously had succeeded.

In addition to costs, there is also an emotional burden. A 2022 study showed that spending extra time with parents or family could cause tensions.

"If you live with your family, you still want to be yourself. That means having interpersonal boundaries and personal space. In a multigenerational family, especially if you live in a cramped and crowded space, it will be very difficult", said Prabash Edirisingha, assistant professor in consumer culture and marketing at Northumbria University.

For many young adults, living on their own is an important step towards feeling mature. In another study from 2022, researchers found that people who were forced to move back in with their parents during the pandemic felt they had experienced a significant setback.

As major life stages - such as moving, buying a home and having a child - are delayed, Generation Z may feel they are falling behind.

A 2022 survey shows that 83% of Generation Z felt pressured to achieve key milestones, compared to 77% of millennials and 66% of those over 75 who said they felt this way when they were younger.

For Generation Z, the very concept of maturity is changing. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, a psychology professor at Clark University, said young people are going through a new stage of life, which he called "emerging adulthood".

"The age of 20 used to be the time when you got a job, got married and had children. Now, these responsibilities don't come for most people until almost a decade later", stated Jeffrey Jensen Arnett.

"Most of them have that feeling that they're between two stages of life", he said, referring to the search for independence and the ability to shape their own lives away from the family home. That begins now in increasingly later stages.

"It doesn't mean they're lazy. It doesn't mean they don't want to mature. It doesn't mean they're avoiding adult life responsibilities. It just means that times have changed", Arnett said.

However, the change is not entirely positive. Emotional impacts can be experienced as a result.