Living arrangements
Changes over time
Over the last twenty years, living arrangements of young people aged 15 to 19 have remained fairly stable.
However, there was an increase (from 78 percent to 84.2 percent) in the proportion who were living with parents between 1986 and 1991, and a corresponding decrease (from 16.4 percent to 9.1 percent) in the proportion not living with family. (1)
In 2006, teenagers were slightly less likely than their earlier cohorts to live at home with their parents (76.3 percent compared with 78 percent in 1986) or in a partner relationship without children (2.6 percent compared with 3.3 percent in 1986).
In 2006, young people aged 15 to 19 were also slightly more likely to live with children of their own (3.5 percent compared with 2.3 percent in 1986) or to live in a non-family situation (17.6 percent compared with 16.4 percent in 1986).
Financial support from family members is not necessarily reflected in living arrangements. However, remaining in the family home for an extended period is one way in which young people manage the risk of low living standards. Data from the United Kingdom indicates that around 70 percent of young people aged between 16 to 19 who have left the family home are living in poverty – compared to 17 percent who remain in the parental home.(2)
Living arrangements of young people aged 15 to 19, 1986-2006
Source: Statistics New Zealand, Census. Notes:
- Data relates to households in permanent private dwellings where household composition is known.
- Absentees are excluded. Therefore a small proportion of children may be coded as “Not living with family” where their parents were absent on Census night.
Over the last twenty years the proportion of 20 to 24 year olds living in non-family households increased from 31.7 percent in 1986 to 37.1 percent in 2006.
Young people in this age group are now less likely to live in a couple relationship without children (16.2 percent in 2006 compared with 19.6 percent in 1986) or to live with children of their own (16.3 percent in 2006 compared with 18.1 percent in 1986).
As with the 15 to 19 age group, there was a decrease from 1986 to 1991 in the proportion of young people aged 20 to 24 who were not living with family (from 31.7 percent to 25.7 percent), and a corresponding increase in the proportion living with parents (from 30.6 percent to 38.7 percent).
Living arrangements of young people aged 20 to 24, 1986-2006
Source: Statistics New Zealand, Census.
Notes
1. “Parents” in this section is taken from the Census 2006 definition: “A ‘parent’ is the mother, father (natural, step, adopted or foster), or ‘person in a parent role’ of a ‘child in a family nucleus’. A ‘person in a parent role’ is a person who is not a mother or father (natural, step, adopted or foster) of the young person (as defined by the survey) but who nevertheless usually resides with that young person.” For information about derivation of categories, please see the Methodology report.
2. Where poverty is defined as 60% of median household equivalent income. See Aassve, A., Iacovou, M and Mencarini, L. (2005) Youth Poverty in Europe: What Do We Know? ISER Working Paper, 2005-2.
