UK Multi-Generational Homes

• A third of UK households are multi-generational, mainly due to adult children living with parents- 9 million homes
• Older relatives account for 14% of multi-generational set-ups (2020) - 1.28 million homes
• A quarter of “granny flats” are designed for grown-up children
• One in 20 UK households (5%) has such a space already, with converted garages, cellars, and separate outbuildings

https://www.aviva.com/newsroom/news-releases/2020/09/1-in-3-homes-are-multi-generational/

An Intergenerational Approach to Perceived Housing

This study aims to compare perceived housing and person-environment fit across three age groups. Young (20–30 years old), young-old (55–65 years old), and old-old adults (80–90 years old) perceived housing as about residential satisfaction, usability, the meaning of home, and housing-related control beliefs.

• In Germany, as in many other Western countries, numbers of one- and two-person households increase across the life course.
• A vast majority of older adults, about 95% of those aged 65 years and older, live alone or with their partners in private households.
• While in many eastern and southern European countries multigenerational households remained common.
• In northern and western European countries like Germany, the number of multigenerational households declines At the same time, life expectancy increases.
• Social interaction at all ages by overcoming physical barriers (e.g., due to digital interconnectedness around the world).
• To sum up, the perceived housing of young-old and old-old adults was comparable (cf. Flade, Citation1999), whereas young adults showed a differing perception of and interaction with their housing environment.
• The observed differences in perceived housing between age groups did not hold when controlling for other housing-related and sociodemographic variables. This result indicates chronological age not being responsible for the observed age-group differences.
• Older people tend to report surprisingly high satisfaction with often substandard housing environments.
• The importance of freedom of choice and control for a positive interaction with the housing environment.
• Balanced building design acknowledging various stages of individual development is required.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02763893.2019.1680129?casa_token=2DAckt29LscAAAAA%3AUTVoB-3Ja45TPoM9ZfC0kx4G27u9fyVd0RSoF5h-IjB_wg1LkJobcYbYW-P1MjTxV914SX3McQdf#d1e151