Identifying Doubled-Up Households Using Survey Data
Kate Bachtell
NORC
Catherine Haggerty
NORC at the University of Chicago
The U.S. Census Bureau has reported a significant increase in the number of doubled-up households following the 2007 economic recession, including a 2% growth in the proportion of young adults ages 24 to 35 living in their parents' homes between 2007 and 2009. These households are defined as those including at least one non-student adult who is not the householder or the householder's partner (DeNavas-Walt et al 2011). In 2011 18.3% of U.S. households were doubled up-an increase of 1.3% since the height of the housing market boom in 2007. These data have inspired many studies examining doubling up as a strategy for making ends meet during times of financial hardship. Analysts are often challenged to identify doubled-up households using household roster data, without the benefit of contextual information about life cycle events (marriage, new births, etc.) and despite the temporary nature of many doubled-up housing arrangements. Data limitations may confound efforts to create a measurement of doubling up that captures substitutions of individual household members and other complexities.