Young adults staying 'in the nest'

Posted in 'Neighbourhood' by Richard Catlin

21 April 2009

Young people are living with parents for longer, and putting off getting married until later in life, according to an annual survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Figures show that the number of young adults aged between 20 and 34 living with parents or relatives increased by 300,000 between 2001 and 2008.

The lack of affordable housing , difficulty getting on the property ladder and the general cost of living are identified as major factors contributing to this increase. The increasing number of people going on to higher education has also resulted in more people delaying 'flying the nest'.

This shift in living patterns is likely to have a significant impact on the geodemographic makeup of the UK. Every postcode is classified according to the people who live there, drawing information from a number of different sources. This information is then used for a wide range of purposes – from determining the amount and type of junk mail that comes through your door, to how much you’ll have to pay for insurance premiums.

The reported family composition, average age and marital status within postcode regions across the UK are likely to change, and could in turn influence factors used in insurance band calculations such as life expectancy. Simply put, the longer you are expected to live, the lower your insurance premiums will be.

You can check how your postcode currently rates using the free Check your Postcode service on checkmyfile. You can see what the average credit score is in your area and all kinds of information about the people who live there, the types of housing, jobs, property prices and much more.

If you find the classification wrong, you can leave feedback so we can ask the data owners to revise their databases where appropriate.