Chart of the Day: Gen Z Goes to Washington – “Couch Surfing?”

Maxwell Frost (D), the first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress, said he would likely couch surf during his first days as a lawmaker in Washington, D.C. because he was denied apartment applications. See Maxwell Frost below and learn about him.

Apartment buildings in Washington, D.C., conduct credit checks and most require tenants to make triple the monthly salary that the apartment costs. Frost, who will make a yearly salary of $174,000 as a House congressman, said that he was denied apartment applications because of his really bad credit.

Ok, I’ll bite – what is couch surfing?

Couch surfing or sofa surfing is the practice of moving from one friend or relative’s house to another, sleeping in whatever spare space is available, floor or couch, and generally staying a few days before moving on to the next house. People sometimes couch-surf when traveling and sometimes because they are homeless (or with bad credit as Frost, homeless in D.C.). Yes, there is even a website to help facilitate this couchsurfing.com.

No doubt that in our youth, we all have done a bit of couch surfing, but as the data indicates below, almost a quarter of our youth are doing it now – learn more here:

Broad demographic shifts in marital status, educational attainment, and employment have transformed the way young adults in the U.S. are living.

A Pew Research Center analysis of census data highlights the implications of these changes for the most basic element of their lives – where they call home. In 2014, for the first time in more than 130 years, adults ages 18 to 34 were slightly more likely to be living in their parents’ home than they were to be living with a spouse or partner in their own household.

This turn of events is fueled primarily by the dramatic drop in the share of young Americans who are choosing to settle down romantically before the age of 35. Dating back to 1880, the most common living arrangement among young adults has been living with a romantic partner, whether a spouse or a significant other. This type of arrangement peaked around 1960.

Various factors contribute to the long-run increase in the share of young adults living with their parents. The first is the postponement of, if not retreat from, marriage. The median age of first marriage has risen steadily for decades.

In addition, a growing share of young adults may be eschewing marriage altogether. A previous Pew Research Center analysis projected that as many as one in four of today’s young adults might never marry. While cohabitation has been on the rise, the overall share of young adults either married or living with an unmarried partner has substantially fallen since 1990.

So, due to economic and cultural reasons, couch surfing, will be a growing thing. The younger the generation, the more likely one will suffer generational wealth creation. This will have political effects as well.

• Those under financial stress tend to vote more to the Left – see here.
• Un-married voters tend to vote Left. Contrary to many traditional family values. For men, it is about 20%, and for women, it is about 14% difference comparing Left vs. Right leanings – see here.

Unfortunately, these dynamics are causing many to turn Left. Conservatives must begin to develop policies that correct our distortions in the free market system to improve economic opportunities and voluntary private educational initiatives to address the fall of our culture in our society.

Hopefully, (D)Rep. Maxwell Frost can help with these initiatives.

By Tom Williams