As another batch of undergraduates gets their degrees, many will join the company of previously graduated classes and make the big move back home. In fact, a large population of young adults are now living with their parents well into their mid-to-late twenties, delaying their establishment of independence.

Why is this happening? Is it failure to launch or a prolonging of self-exploration?

In 2011, Statistics Canada showed that 42.3 per cent of the 4,318,400 young adults aged 20 to 29 were living at home, a number that has doubled since the 1981 census showed 26.9 per cent of the same age bracket still at home. Factors including emotional and financial support, as well as difficulty landing employment, and continuation of postgraduate studies account largely for this boost in numbers. A large section of young adults are also finding the cost of living coupled with weak money management skills limiting their housing options and ability to financially sustain themselves.

A New York Times article by Robin Marantz Henig featuring psychology professor Jeffrey Jensen Arnett explains that a new “emerging adulthood” has been created by the increased demand for information (brought on by the Internet), global recession, and decreased pressure to marry. Henig writes that this new stage revolves around identity exploration, instability, self-focus, feeling in-between, and what Arnett calls “a sense of possibilities.”

The Statistics Canada census also reveals that a decreasing proportion of young adults are living as couples, citing a self-centred focus on “personal, educational or other pursuits” as factors in this decline. This could also be a result of, as Arnett suggested, a generational desire to be unattached and able to explore as individuals.

In this “selfish” age of quickly transferable knowledge, as well as a growing quest for personal satisfaction, is it so bad for recent graduates to take their time and figure out where they want to be?

Moving back home not only allows young, working adults to build their incomes but also their relationships with parents. Some are even able to save up enough to put a down payment on a house and avoid rental costs altogether. They are also able to take on internships, many of which are unpaid, to gain much-needed experience in competitive industries. A variety of cultures also consider it commonplace for children to stay at home well into their twenties, or at least until marriage.

Is a delay in “growing up” at least temporarily detrimental?

In Marantz’s article, she states, “Arnett found that 60 per cent of his subjects told him they felt like both grown-ups and not-quite-grown-ups,” creating a sort of Peter Pan effect, void of real responsibility. He argued that this could lead to a potential crash from idealism, whatever those idealist dreams may be, when twenty-somethings are faced with the harsh realities of paying for mortgages or dealing with a hefty hydro bill.

One thing is clear: as medical technology advances and our life spans continually expand, it seems beneficial to have had at least pondered our paths instead of rushing into careers and lifestyles because they were available. While living a coddled existence in mom and dad’s basement may seem debilitating to some, it may in fact lead to a higher satisfaction in life.

That’s not to say kids should never leave the nest, but it’s okay to take the time to figure out where you’re headed.

Laura Eley is a Toronto native and current staff writer and editorial assistant with Jobpostings. She likes attending concerts, sitting on docks, the elliptical, and dachshunds. Follow her on Twitter @tweetsbylaurae.