More than one-third of Australian households moved between 2015 and 2020, new data shows.
What’s more, it is mostly the younger generations who are the most mobile, while people aged over 50 are more likely to stay put.
The latest census data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that in 2019–20, 1.14 million households (12% of all households) had moved at least once in the previous 12 months.
Age has a marked influence on mobility it seems.
Just over one in four 25-34 year-olds (26%) had spent less than one year in their current dwelling, while 58% had been in their current dwelling between one and five years.
The younger they are, the more frequently they are likely to move. Some 46% of households with a reference person aged 15 to 24 years had moved three or more times in the previous 5 years.
At the other end of the generation scale, however, Boomers tend to stay where they are. The figures show that households with a reference person aged 65 years and over moved home less frequently, with just 3% of these households having spent less than a year in their current dwelling and 15% having spent between one and five years there.
Renters moved more often than home owners.
Just under a third (29%) of private renter households had spent less than a year in their current home and 52% had spent less than 5 years. Homeowners moved less frequently, with 5% reporting less than 1 year in their current dwelling and 23% less than 5 years.
In comparison, 28% of homeowner households and 25% of households renting from a state or territory housing authority reported living in their current dwelling for 20 years or more.
Where are we moving? Of those households who had moved within the last 5 years:
– almost two thirds (65%) moved within the same state or territory (but outside the same suburb or locality);
– 25% of moves were within the same suburb or locality;
– 7% of households moved from a different state or territory; and
– 3% moved from overseas to Australia.
Why do we move? Of all households who had moved within the last 5 years:
– 12% reported the main reasons for moving were wanting a bigger or better home (down from 17% in 2013–14); and
– 20% reported the main reason was to purchase their own dwelling (up from 16% in 2013–14).
The main reasons for moving also varied by household characteristics.
– For Boomers, the main reasons for moving were downsizing (22%) and to be close to family and friends (13%).
– For households with a reference person aged 35-44, purchasing a home (22%) and wanting a bigger or better home (17%) were key reasons for moving.
– For younger people (aged 15-24 years), the reasons for moving included to form their own family or be independent (14%), while 13% of moves were for education. These were also much more frequent movers.
– For households renting from a state or territory housing authority, the highest reported reason for moving was due to housing allocation (37%).
