Nearly two-thirds of childless British single adults aged 20-34 have either never left the family home, or have moved back into it, according to new research into the “boomerang” generation. There are now an estimated 3.5 million young single adults living with their parents in the UK, a third more than a decade ago. (The Week 16 Dec 2020)

My comment: On a practical level this is a bad idea; bad for Mum who probably has to do the cooking and cleaning; bad for both parents who might have expected to have the house to themselves at last; and bad for the young adult, who should be spreading his or her wings, acquiring a home and maybe a spouse. In other words it isn’t historically normal. Even Neanderthals took themselves off to new caves, where they could more relaxedly entertain young Neanderthal girls.

This has been caused mainly by insecure, poorly paid jobs, and high house prices. It is not socially or economically healthy for any country. And now the young look forward to as yet unknown hazards outside the UK, foisted on them by backward-looking old buffers. Wisdom is a scarce commodity.