Co-residence of mid-life children with their elderly parents in England and Wales: changes between 1981 and 1991

It is known that there have been large declines in the proportion of elderly people living in intergenerational households. Much less is known about trends in the proportion of adult children living with elderly parents. Here I show a large decline between 1981 and 1991 in the proportion of mid-life adults living with an elderly parent or parent-in-law in England and Wales. Declines in co-residence were higher among more advantaged groups so that the characteristics of intergenerational households were less favourable in 1991 than in 1981. Analysis of another data set, including information on the survival of parents, showed that associations between co-variates and co-residence are similar in models applied to all mid-life adults and only to those with a living parent. These changes suggest a continuing trend towards residential independence as a preferred option, with those unable to attain or maintain this coming to represent a more disadvantaged group.