Transitions in Living Arrangements and Economic Downturns: Does Doubling Up Improve Economic Well-Being?

Laryssa Mykyta, U.S. Census Bureau
Suzanne Macartney, U.S. Census Bureau

One way people may cope with challenging economic circumstances is to combine households and household resources with other families or individuals. High unemployment and high rates of mortgage foreclosures in recent years sparked research and media interest in the phenonmenon of "doubling up." While some data reveal increases in shared households since 2007, we know little about how individual households change over time in response to economic conditions. This analysis uses data from the 2008 SIPP Panel to document changes in shared households and to estimate discrete-time hazard models predicting the odds of transitioning into shared household or additional adult status since mid-2008. Results suggest that both unemployment rates (for those < age 35) and individual employment status were associated with transitions.