Ireland’s housing crisis often feels uniquely severe. For younger adults in particular, a yawning gap has emerged between how they expected to live in their 20s and 30s – and how they are actually living. Living with parents well into adulthood, sharing with strangers longer than planned, postponing independence altogether: these experiences feel specific to Ireland. That sense of exceptionalism is understandable. It is also, at least in part, misleading. Across much of Europe, younger adults are experiencing similar constraints. In countries with very different housing systems, income levels and social norms, the same pattern keeps appearing. Young adults are…

Want to continue reading?

Join today and get full access to The Currency and The Wall Street Journal – TWO premium memberships for the price of one.

Subscribe

Cancel at any time.

Are you already a member? .