Final answer:
A college student living away from home can still be considered part of their family's household for purposes such as voter registration and financial aid. This status can affect voting practices, where students often maintain registration at their permanent home address and financial reporting for dependents. Students may not be living at home, but they are still connected to the household for these administrative reasons.
Step-by-step explanation:
When considering whether a child in college but not currently living in the household can be counted as part of the household, it is essential to identify the context in which 'household' is being defined. For instance, in voter registration, maintaining one's registration at the family home is typically legal, even if the student resides temporarily at college. This allows students to vote for local politicians and issues that they are more familiar with, though they must remember to apply for an absentee ballot or travel home to vote.
In terms of dependency and financial aid, college students who live away from home in dormitories or off-campus housing may still be considered as part of their parent's household for purposes like tax deductions or reporting family size on financial aid applications. The U.S. Census Bureau defines various living arrangements for children, including those away at college. Also, students living in student housing near campus and receiving financial aid are not mutually exclusive situations.
Finally, the idea of who is counted in the labor force is another perspective where the definition of 'household' matters. While full-time college students may work part-time or not at all, they are not typically counted as unemployed in labor statistics, as their primary role is that of a student. Accordingly, such students are often still connected to their family's household, even if they are not physically residing in it.