European statistics have confirmed what we have known for many years – that it takes much longer for Maltese young people to leave their parents’ homes than their European peers.

We’re not top of the list, as Croatia and Slovenia beat us. In Croatia, on average young people find new accommodation at the age of 32, followed by Slovenia at 30.9.

Malta is not far behind, sharing third place with Italy at 30.2.

At the other end of the scale, Swedish youths on average leave their homes aged 17.5 years, while Luxembourg follows on 19.8 years. In Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, The Netherlands and Denmark young adults leave their parents’ homes before reaching the age of 25,

So our youngsters, on average, are building their own nest beyond the age of 30, closer to the approaching middle age than to the schooling age they left behind.

Asked to explain this behaviour by The Malta Independent, a researcher of adult education at the University of Malta, Maria Brown, said that the determining factor for such a phenomenon is that young people do not feel the need to leave the home they grew up in.

This is mostly because Malta’s small size does not require young people to find a new residence when going to University or getting a job. Travelling time between one’s home and university/place of work is still short enough for the youngsters to continue living with their mum, dad or both.

It does not help, either, that the cost of property in Malta continues to rise and young people find it hard to rent or buy their home, in spite of several incentives that are offered by the government to first time buyers.

In other words, young people find it comfortable to remain in their parents’ home as long as possible. Most of them are not required by the parents to financially contribute to the family’s expenses, which would mean that the young adults would not be paying for rent, utilities and food. Others do so voluntarily, or at least offer to do so, with many parents turning down the idea.

In many instances, parents are of two minds – while they would like to get their home back and enjoy some privacy, on the other hand prolonging their children’s stay in the family home would delay the empty nest syndrome many parents suffer from when all their children leave.

While this situation may be seen as a sign that Maltese families are still strong and that young people feel a bond with their parents, on the other hand it could be interpreted as an indication that today’s youths are afraid of being independent or are unable to afford their independence. Either way, it is a worrying factor.

Leaving the parents’ home after 30 years of age might lead to greater difficulties for the youngsters to settle down, as they would have been used to having their parents do most of the work required to run a home, including paying the bills. It might come as a shock to them to realise how much it costs to run a home.

The government should then take a deeper look at the prevailing circumstances and hopefully be in a position to increase the incentives already available for first-time property buyers.