Roughly half the kids in shared households may be living as “guests” in a less stable and secure environment, according to new research from the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. The team of researchers from U-M, Cornell University and University of Kentucky say that because 15% of all U.S. children live in such shared households, it is important to tease out household dynamics that provide insights into overall child well-being. Prior research by team member Natasha Pilkauskas, a Ford School demographer, found half of economically disadvantaged children spend some time living in a doubled-up household. “We know that many children live with other adults in addition to their parents but we did not understand whether they were ‘guests’ in someone else’s home, or if their parents were ‘hosts’ bringing others into their home,” Pilkauskas said. “Before this study, I think a lot of people assumed that children and their parents were moving into someone else’s home. But we find that it is evenly divided: Half of children are ‘hosts’ and half are ‘guests.'”