Young People and Housing: Transitions, Trajectories and Generational Fractures

Younger generations across a wide range of societies face increasing difficulties in gaining access to housing. Housing occupies a pivotal position in the transition from parental dependence to adult independence. Delayed independence has significant implications for marriage and family formation, fertility, inter and intra generational tensions, social mobility and social inequalities. The social and cultural dimensions are, of course, enormously varied with strong contrasts between Asian and Western societies in terms of intergenerational norms and practices in relation to housing. Nevertheless, younger households in China (including Hong Kong), Japan, the USA, Australasia and Europe face very similar challenges in the housing sphere. Moreover, concerns about the housing future for younger generations are gaining greater policy and popular prominence in many countries. All the papers were specially commissioned for a symposium in Hong Kong which took place in summer 2011. This brought together a small group of specially invited international experts, in a round table format, to explore the specific institutional, economic and cultural factors at work in different national contexts.