Multi-generation households 'near Victorian levels'

A survey says that the number of households with three or four generations living together could surpass its Victorian peak.

The number of households with three or four generations living together is increasing to levels last seen in Victorian times, according to a new survey.

The number of so-called ‘multi-generational’ households has increased by 7% in the past five years, says family history website Ancestry.co.uk. It says Government data shows there are now 517,000 of these households, a number last seen in the mid-19th century.

The survey also estimates that the number of multi-generational households will continue increasing, rising to 550,000 by 2018 and eventually exceeding the Victorian peak of 608,000 in 2030.

The parallels between the two eras are eerily similar: a lack of affordable property preventing young people from leaving home and a squeeze on household incomes leading to more people taking in lodgers.

However, more Victorian families had both elderly relatives and domestic ‘help’ living with them.

Back in November, a survey of pay concluded that the gap between high executive pay and the average salary was widening to a level last seen in Victorian times.

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