20 years ago people graduated from college, they got a well-paying job and then an apartment. In a year or two they found somebody to marry and then the bought a house. The status quo was maintained and society elders were pleased.
Now the price of real estate has quadrupled, rents have quadrupled, the price of utilities has doubled, college tuition has tripled and salaries are higher but not high enough to pay for the increased cost of living.
It doesn't matter if there was a recession, the train has left the station on a cultural shift. It's reasonable for adult children to move in with parents, parents who may have surely overextended themselves during the mortgage boom. Instead of one or two people contributing to the cost of running a household it becomes a group effort. And with houses getting bigger and bigger these days, several people can fit quite comfortably in a McMansion.
The increased cost of living has also had an effect on the marriage rate. One person up to their eyeballs in college debt and bills is bad enough, young people don't wish to compound the pain by marrying and having to shoulder another person's financial burden. And after that, the last thing young people want to do is start making babies.
I read an opinion-piece yesterday about the horrors of having young women drive the upscale rental market. It turns out that young educated women are getting jobs in cities and like to rent apartments instead of buying expensive homes in the suburbs. The conservative pundit thought this phenomenon was contributing to the downfall of society.
I don't think the world is returning to Leave It To Beaver any time soon. It doesn't matter what people think, everybody needs to get used to it.