“Explaining the Failure to Launch: Economic Conditions and the Living Arrangements of Young Adults in the U.S.”
In this analysis, data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) is used to: (1) Examine changes in living arrangements for young adults from 1995 through 2012; (2) Determine how the recent recession has affected the transition to adulthood, specifically young adults’ living arrangements; and (3) Explore whether the effects of the recession on living arrangements differed by young adults’ socioeconomic status. Findings suggest a decline in independent living arrangements and an increase in dependent living arrangements during the recession, particularly for young adults ages 25 to 29 years old. However, consistent with prior research, there were few differential effects by socioeconomic status.
