Solo living on the rise

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Tags: demographics, discovery, SBS, summer-2011

New research has shown an increasing number of Australians choose to live alone

One in four Australian households are single occupancy homes, and it’s predicted that in the coming decades millions more will choose to live alone.

It’s a lifestyle that’s often labelled as a lonely existence, but for some people it’s a preference.

This rise in living alone is the focus of a recent study – the first of its kind – which was conducted by Executive Dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences Professor David de Vaus. Living alone is an increasingly common living arrangement in developed economies and the increase of Australian households being occupied by just one person is a pattern that has been growing steadily in all western countries since World War II.

Based on interviews with 4300 Australian households, the study discovered more than 40 percent of people will spend a period in their adult lives living alone but most of these spells will be short – about 2.5 years.

“For many, solo living is a transitional period within a more complex life course. Solo living comes between periods in group households, follows relationship breakdown or after other family changes like leaving home or after children leave,” Professor de Vaus said.

“This style of living does not signal a rejection of family living, but does reflect changes in the way in which people arrange their family life course.

“Today we delay marriage, have fewer children and are more likely to end relationships. All these make for periods of living alone.”

The study also found people who typically chose to live alone were not abandoned to a life of isolation, and usually re-entered some form of family living.

“Those who live alone do so because they want to; they do so for relatively short periods and then re-engage in family households,” Professor de Vaus said.

“Living alone springs partly from the fact that people in advanced economies are simply wealthier and healthier and can afford to live alone. They are also healthy enough in old age to manage on their own.”

By Kristen Bastian

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