For years, YPulse has watched the same headline cycle play out: young people are living at home with their parents and can’t seem to leave. It’s happening in the U.S., it’s happening across Europe, and somehow, the story never seems to really go away. Case in point: just last week, just last week, yet another article—this time from Brussels Signal—highlighted the difficulty young Spaniards are facing trying to move out of their parents’ homes, even as more are working and landing better jobs. We dug into this same topic back in 2023, when the headlines were once again painting a picture of a generation stuck in the family home.  

And yes, there’s some truth to the narrative. The cost-of-living and housing crisis have made it harder than ever for many young Europeans to afford to live on their own. But, as we pointed out back then, and would point out again now, that doesn’t mean an entire generation has suddenly become “boomerang kids” who move back home to stay with Mom and Dad. 

Once again, we wanted to take a look past the headlines and see what’s actually happening. In YPulse’s Life Milestones & Future Plans survey, we ask 13-39-year-olds in Western Europe to describe their current living situation. And what we found paints a picture that’s a lot less gloomy than the headlines might suggest:

Most young Europeans do not, in fact, live with their parents 

YPulse’s Western Europe Life Milestones & Future Plans data shows a much less dramatic reality than the headlines might suggest: No, the majority of young Europeans do not live with their parents. Among 20-29-year-olds, 35% say they currently live with their parents, dropping sharply to just 11% among 30-39-year-olds. And while that 35% is still a significant share of twentysomethings, it’s hardly the universal experience headlines make it seem. In fact, more 20-29-year-olds combined live with their parents live alone (22%) or with significant others (23%). Plus, there’s another important piece of context: many people in their early 20s are still in school or figuring out work, finances, and ultimately where they want to live. So, for some, living with Mum and Dad is more about staying in the family home while they work out their next step instead of refusing to leave.

And perhaps more importantly, living with their parents doesn’t necessarily mean being financially dependent on them. YPulse’s Finance / Spending Monitor shows the majority of twentysomething Europeans (61%) consider themselves financially independent from their parents—including 53% of those currently in university.  

By their 30s, their living situation looks very different 

The sharp drop in those living with their parents among 30-39-year-olds also makes sense when you consider that they’re generally in a different life stage than twentysomethings. And while reaching their 30s doesn’t automatically mean living independently anymore—especially compared to previous gens—it does mean other living arrangements become much more common. For example, YPulse data shows 40% of 30-39-year-olds live with a significant other, compared to 23% of 20-29-year-olds, while 24% live with children versus 10% of those in their 20s. So, it’s possible that rather than them moving from their parents’ house to living alone, many young Europeans are moving into new household structures of their own, whether that means building a home with a partner or starting a family. And for those who do live with parents, a multigenerational home can be more common in some European countries than it is in America, so it’s not only about finances or dependency.