According to a new survey from Harris Poll for Bloomberg, roughly 45% of people ages 18 to 29 are living at home with their families — the highest figure since the 1940s. More than 60% of Gen-Zers and millennials reported moving back home in the past two years, according to the poll, often because of financial challenges.

This handily refutes the Noah Smith (et al.) assertion that things are great, rent is not too damn high, and all the other easily-disproven mendacities economists like to trot out against all evidence. This simple fact is that nearly no one moves back home if they can afford to do anything else.

But evidence matters to almost no one. I’ve spent half my life realizing that over and over again, and then being saddened by the realization.