Nest Leaving and Social Capital: Channels, Housing Tenures and Resources

Housing shortage can make it difficult for young adults to move away from their parents. This paper investigates nest leaving and to understand resources and channels young adults use to move away from parents, with focus on the role of social capital and informal channels. The study uses a survey of young adults in Sweden that oversampled children of immigrants and measures social capital with the position generator. Results show that both economic and social capital have positive effects on nest leaving. While social capital is linked to the use of contacts and informal, “secondhand”, rental agreements, often transmitted via contacts, economic capital is connected to formal housing tenure. The study also indicates that immigrants are more likely to live with their parents, and discusses discrimination as well as social capital shortage as possible explanations. The paper concludes that access to both economic and social capital make it more likely to move away from parents, but that they operate through distinct channels and lead to different housing tenures.