Flying the nest? Nine in ten young have nowhere to fly to
Nine out of ten people aged 18-34 have a friend or family member living at home with their parents because they cannot afford to buy a house, a new survey has found.
It also revealed that 86% of young people report personally knowing someone living at home to save on housing costs. That figure rose to 92% when respondents were asked if they had a close connection with someone who had either emigrated or was planning to leave the country due to housing problems.
Worryingly, the problem has sparked an exodus of teachers, nurses and tradespeople. Although age plays a factor, more than half – 54% – of those aged 45-54 and nearly half of over-55s know someone still living at home with their parents due to housing affordability issues, the survey of 1,000 people found. When it comes to flying the nest, young people are having their wings clipped. Pic: Shutterstock
Dominic Lumsden of Peopl.ie Insurance, which was behind the study, said: 'The findings highlight how widespread the housing affordability crisis has become. Most people know someone who has no choice but to remain living at home, often well into adulthood, simply because buying a home has become so expensive.
'Overall, more than half of respondents know someone who has left and/or is due to leave the country, and more again know someone who is living with their parents – 62%. But if you drill down even further it becomes more and more obvious how acute the housing issues are amongst the younger generation. Even if the younger survey respondents are not in the position themselves, they know someone close to them who is.'
The survey also found that 54% of 18-to-34-year-olds have a close connection with someone who has already emigrated. Also, 38% of that age group have friends or family considering leaving. Dubliners were most likely to know someone who has left Ireland due to housing unaffordability at 45%, while those living in Munster were least likely at 33%. Young people can't move out of their parents' home due to the housing crisis. Pic: Getty Images
Mr Lumsden said: 'The data highlights how housing affordability is impacting people across all age groups, but younger adults are feeling it most. With nearly nine in ten 25-to-34- year-olds knowing someone still living at home due to unaffordable housing, it's clear the traditional milestone of moving out and buying a home is increasingly out of reach for many.
'This echoes the 2022 Census findings, which showed 61% of 20-to-24-year-olds were still living with their parents, up from 54% in 2011. What's particularly alarming is how housing pressures are now driving young people to leave Ireland altogether.'
The latest Central Statistics Office Population and Migration Estimates revealed more than 69,000 people left the country in the year to April 2024 – the highest level since 2015 – including 34,700 Irish nationals.
'This ongoing 'brain drain' means we are losing many of the essential workers who form the building blocks of our society – teachers, nurses, tradespeople,' Mr Lumsden added. 'The survey paints a stark picture: housing unaffordability is no longer just a personal struggle; it's a national issue that's putting real strain on our communities.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Sarah Carey: As its 100th anniversary sails into view, the BBC's ‘Shipping Forecast' is the ultimate in comfort radio
I'm jumping the gun a bit, but there's a centenary coming up in October, and it's of global significance. It will be 100 years since the first broadcast of the Shipping Forecast on the BBC World Service/Radio 4. I'm part of the unquantified Irish BBC Radio 4 community. We don't appear in the JNLRs, but I've always wondered how many of us there are out there.
Irish Examiner
11 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Seafood Made Simple: Seaweed scones and herb butter make for sea-deep flavours
Seaweed, an often-forgotten food, has been eaten in Ireland for centuries. Approximately 40,000 tonnes of seaweed is harvested in Ireland every year. When we consider the term seafood, we typically think of fish and shellfish, but the waters that surround our island offer us much more with sea vegetables and seaweeds. This time of the year you'll find rock and marsh samphire, sea kale, sea spinach and smaller sea plants like purslane. There are hundreds of varieties of seaweeds native to Ireland, pepper dulse being my most favourite. Also known as sea truffle, with wonderful black garlic undertones, it's a smaller sized seaweed but deeply savoury. Anthony Irwin and Angela Healy are growing two fabulous varieties of Irish seaweed in the pristine waters off the Mullet Peninsula in North west county Mayo. At their ocean farm, Dulra, they are cultivating winged kelp and sugar kelp seaweeds. Rope-grown with locally sourced seeds, this form of aquaculture is regenerative creating safe nursery grounds for young fish and crustaceans, sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as well as providing a nutritious food source. Seaweed is an important ingredient in my store cupboard, delivering deep umami and meaty flavours to so many dishes. It's a fantastic substitute for salt and makes a brilliant seasoning for spuds, vegetables and breads. For this weekend's recipe, I've used some sugar kelp seaweed to flavour a brown scone mix. You can, of course, use any dried seaweed you can get your hands on. Most varieties are available dried and powdered or flaked, which makes it an easy addition to any bake. Look for dilisk, nori and kelp. Not just for afternoon tea, a savoury scone is the perfect accompaniment to a summer salad, seafood soup, smoked fish or pâtés. There is nothing more satisfying than the waft of baked goods filling your kitchen. Seaweed scones with herb butter recipe by:Aishling Moore Not just for afternoon tea, a savoury scone is the perfect accompaniment to a summer salad, seafood soup, smoked fish or pâtés. There is nothing more satisfying than the waft of baked goods filling your kitchen. Servings 12 Preparation Time 30 mins Cooking Time 15 mins Total Time 45 mins Course Baking Ingredients For the scones: 300g plain flour 150g wholemeal flour 30g baking powder ½ tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp sea salt 2 tsp dried seaweed flakes (such as kelp, dillisk or nori) 85g unsalted butter, diced and chilled 2 large eggs 225ml milk Egg wash (1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp milk) Sea salt flakes For the herb butter: 250g unsalted butter at room temperature 50g soft herbs (such as dill, chervil, parsley, fennel fronds) Zest of half a lemon Sea salt flakes Place the unsalted butter in a large bowl and beat using a spatula. Roughly chop the herbs and add along with the lemon zest and sea salt. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve at room temperature. Method Preheat oven to 220°C/fan 220°C/gas mark 7. Sieve the flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, salt and seaweed and mix well to evenly disperse. Add the diced cubes of chilled butter and rub them in using clean and dry hands. Do this until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. In a separate bowl, add the eggs and milk and whisk to combine. Make a well in the centre of the bowl, containing the dry ingredients and butter. Add the egg and milk mixture. Mix to bring together, forming a soft dough. Making sure there are no pockets of flour. Dust your work surface with some plain flour. Place the scone dough on top and shape to form a round. It's important at this point not to knead the dough and handle it as little as possible. Using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough to about 2cm and stamp out the scones using a cutter of your choice, wasting as little as possible working from the outside of the dough. Place on a large baking sheet, brush with egg wash and finish with a sprinkling of sea salt and seaweed flakes. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with a generous helping of herb butter. Fish tales Chilled butter for the scone mixture is vital to achieve a tender-textured scone. I love using wholemeal flour in scones for a more complex flavour, but you could just use plain flour. It's important not to over work the dough and handle as little as possible to avoid developing the gluten in the flour. It's always great to freeze half a dozen or so of the uncooked scones, which can be baked from frozen. For best results making the herb butter, use a stand mixer with the butter at room temperature. You'll find a great selection of native Irish seaweeds in most health food stores.
Irish Independent
17 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Call for Dublin street to be named after Capuchin Day Centre founder Brother Kevin Crowley
Br Kevin, who died on Wednesday at the age of 90, founded the Capuchin Day Centre on Bow Street in 1969, which provides over 1,000 hot meals and more than 1,000 food parcels to those living in homelessness and poverty each day. His funeral mass will take place in Dublin tomorrow morning at the Church of St Mary of the Angels at 11am. Senator Aubrey McCarthy, who founded the charity Tiglin, which provides supports to people experiencing homelessness and addiction, has said naming a street in honour of Br Kevin 'would be a fitting and permanent tribute to a man who gave so much to Dublin'. Mr McCarthy has written to the Lord Mayor of Dublin City Council requesting that the move be considered as a way to honour Br Kevin's contribution to Irish society. 'Br Kevin was a beacon of compassion, dignity, and service in our city,' he said. 'His legacy is etched into the lives of thousands of people he helped quietly, humbly, and without judgment. Naming a street after him would be a fitting and permanent tribute to a man who gave so much to Dublin.' Born in Kilcolman in Enniskeane, Co Cork in February of 1935, Br Kevin was baptised with the name William. He entered the Capuchin Postulancy in Co Kilkenny in April 1958. In October of that year, he was admitted to the Novitiate in Rochestown in Cork where he received the name Kevin. After spending time working in the Cooperative Clothing Guild in Dublin, he had offices on Bow Street reconstructed to build the Capuchin Day Centre. The organisation, which was visited by Pope Francis during his time in Ireland in 2018, has become a vital facility for supporting poor and homeless people in Dublin. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more President Michael D Higgins led tributes to Br Kevin earlier this week, praising his 'invaluable contribution to the people of Dublin city' through the 'essential services' the centre provides. He described him as a 'warm, caring, yet fearless man, who dedicated his life to living his Christian faith in dedication to those most in need'. 'The hot meals, food parcels, clothing, showers, family services, and medical and dental services have not just extended care of the most vulnerable, but have been exemplary in showing a fundamental respect for the dignity of each person and allowed so many of those who have availed of the services to rebuild their lives," he said. The Archbishop of Dublin, Dermot Farrell, said his work and the work of the staff and volunteers 'transformed the lives of the poor and marginalised in our city who availed of its services, from misery and despair to hope and love'. Taoiseach Micheál Martin described Br Kevin as a 'good friend' and 'proud Cork man' who was 'a tireless and passionate advocate for justice, dedicating his life to helping those in need'. 'His compassion, devotion and non-judgmental approach to helping the marginalised was unwavering,' he said. Tánaiste Simon Harris said Br Kevin was 'one of life's true heroes' who dedicated his life to helping others.
