As an early Baby Boomer, I feel more than qualified to write about this. My Gen X son never moved back in. Back-up. I just learned he technically did for 5 years.
According to an article by Derek Thompson in The Atlantic, we Boomers are holding on to a false perception. It appears we may owe Millennials an apology. Who knew that living in a dormitory or fraternity/sorority house counted as living with your parents. Talk about skewed numbers. Tell me again why the census needs an overhaul?
Given the costs of higher education, the cost of room and board is probably lower than renting an apartment or house and splitting the rent, utilities, and food with roommates. Any student or parent in their right mind will naturally seek the lowest cost option.
Can someone, especially if they have knowledge of the reasoning behind the logic used by the Census Bureau, tell me how living out of your parents’ physical dwelling equates to living in it? Given the number of students living on-campus, wouldn’t a separate category — “living in college dormitory or other campus housing” — convey a more accurate statistic?
In today’s world, where talking points and emotion rule, we need to do everything possible to minimize false or misleading information. The generally accepted figure of Millennials living at home is a clear example.
Photo Source: Washington Post