Boomerang generation force parents to retirement dreams on hold Shelter estimates that 1.6 million people in their 20s and 30s are living with their parents specifically because they cannot afford to rent or buy a place of their own. Polling by YouGov found that parents were happy to help their children but worried that the situation was preventing them leading an independent life. Four out of 10 of the parents affected believed that their children would "never" be able to afford a decent home even if they worked hard and saved up. But the polling also highlighted strains on the parents themselves. Four out of 10 said that they were still having to do a big "family shop" at the supermarket at a time when they had expected to be reducing their outgoings. Only a small proportion said that financial contributions from their children had helped bring household costs by. One in five said they had to cut back on spending on holidays and almost one in 10 said they wanted to move house but could not because their children were still living there. Meanwhile 12 per cent said that the arrangement was putting a strain on the relationship between parents and children and the same proportion agreed it was affecting their own relationships. Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: "These figures reveal the heartbreaking reality of parents desperate for their children to reach their potential as adults, but aware that soaring rents and house prices are pushing the prospect of independent living further and further away. No parent wants to see their child's ambitions shrivel because they can't afford to leave the family home. We all want to help their children make a start in adulthood, but the new reality of life for the boomerang generation is difficult and depressing. With many parents torn between wanting to support their children while giving them the independence they need, this group of mums and dads are feeling the financial and emotional costs of keeping their grown-up family under one roof.