Young Adults' Patterns of Leaving the Parental Home: A Focus on Differences Among Asian Americans

Objective: This study investigates racial and ethnic variations in patterns of leaving the parental home, focusing on differences among Asian Americans. Background: Leaving the parental home, considered an important marker of the transition to adulthood, has become more complex for young adults. Asian American young adults are often treated as a monolithic group in studies of residential independence despite ethnic variation in socioeconomic status. Method: Using nationally representative data on high school seniors (Education Longitudinal Study of 2002; n = 10,770), binary logistic regression models compare the odds of leaving the parental home by age 20 and by 26 among East Asians, Southeast Asians, South Asians, Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. In addition, the following four patterns of residential independence are identified based on living arrangements between the two ages: early fliers, stayers, returners, and later fliers. Multinomial logistic regression models compare the odds of experiencing each pattern by race/ethnicity. Results: There is variation among Asian Americans in family socioeconomic status and cultural orientations toward familism. Multivariate analyses reveal that East Asian young adults are consistently more likely to attain residential independence compared to Southeast Asians and South Asians. Family socioeconomic status and cultural factors explain some but not all of the remaining differences among Asian Americans. Conclusion: Findings highlight the need to consider racial and ethnic diversity and the role of family resources and cultural factors in the transition to adulthood.