社会新群体：空巢青年，以前出现过空巢老人，是指那些独自在老家而其子女常年在外打拼工作的老年人。而现在又出现了新的一类群体，独自在大城市打拼挣钱的新时代的年轻人。

China has over 20m empty-nest youths aged 20 to 39, and most of them live in major cities, according to a recent survey.

China has lately witnessed an increase of so-called empty-nest youth, or young people who live alone, which experts believe is a cause for public concern.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that 12.45 percent of households were inhabited by one person in 2015. The figure in 2008 was 8.3 percent.

Specifically, of this "empty-nest" population, solitary young residents are especially common, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The term "empty-nest" was originally applied to elderly people living alone after their children are grown and out of the house.

A report on empty-nest youth found that this group tends to feel lonelier than their peers, and their personal lives are largely confined to their rented apartments.

As they typically live far from work to save money on rent, these youth often spend hours commuting, leaving them exhausted in the evenings.

Even so, this population chooses to live in big cities, as they are attracted to the opportunities in such metropolises.

Meanwhile, empty-nest youth are more inclined to spend money on better food, high-quality clothes and digital products. Some 21 percent of the group have no savings or are slightly in debt, according to the report, which was conducted by Baidu Waimai and Wacai.com.

The emergence of empty-nest youth is a result of imbalanced social and economic development between big cities and smaller towns. It is also a natural result of China's ongoing urbanization, Wang Yingmei, an associate professor of psychology at Sichuan University, told Xinhua.

Still, experts warned that the growing size of this group could bring problems, affecting the population's psychology and marital aspirations. Some recommended that youth get in engaged in community activities.

最近一项调查显示，我国20-39岁的空巢青年数量已超过2000万，大部分空巢青年生活在大城市。

最近，中国所谓的"空巢青年"人群有所增加（空巢青年即指独自居住的年轻人），专家认为这会导致公众的担忧。

据国家统计局的数据显示，2015年，12.45%的家庭中只有一个人居住。2008年时这一数据还只是8.3%。

据新华社报道，特别而言，在这些"空巢"人群当中，独自居住的年轻人特别常见。

"空巢"这个词本来用于那些子女长大、搬出去之后独自居住的老年人。

据一份关于"空巢青年"的报告显示，这些人比他们的同龄人更加孤独，而他们的个人生活很大程度上局限在租来的小公寓里。

为了省钱，他们通常租住在离工作较远的地方，这些年轻人往往需要在通勤方面花上好几个小时，使得自己在晚上筋疲力尽。

即便如此，这些人仍然选择留在大城市，因为大城市里的机会吸引着他们。

与此同时，空巢青年也更加倾向于花钱购买更好的食品、高品质衣物和数码产品。据百度外卖和挖财网的报告显示，21%的空巢青年没有存款、或者背负有小额债务。

空巢青年的出现是大城市和小城市之间不平衡社会经济发展的结果。四川大学心理学副教授王英梅向新华社透露，这也是中国目前正在进行的城市化所带来的一个自然结果。

不过，专家警告称，空巢青年人群的扩大可能会带来一些问题，对该人群的心理和结婚愿望造成影响。因此，专家建议年轻人应该多参与社区活动。