Australia’s youth: Housing stress

Abstract

Affordable housing is a key dimension of economic wellbeing. Housing costs, such as rent payments or mortgages, are often the largest regular expense in a household budget.

Spending a high proportion of disposable income on housing costs reduces what households can afford to consume and save to support other aspects of their wellbeing (OECD 2020).

A key aspect of the transition to adulthood is to live independently. However, difficulties securing affordable housing can delay a young person’s decision to move out of the parental home.

Data from the ABS Survey of Income and Housing shows an increase in the number of young people living with parents between 2007–08 and 2017–18 (see Demographics of Australian young people and their families).

It is likely that there are young people who would prefer to live independently but chose to continue to stay with their parents, or to live in group housing, to avoid living in housing stress.