Singles: are we one big family?

A new report from market research publisher Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com and reported here by MarketingCharts, claims, U.S. Singles: The New Nuclear Family.

The report states that “America’s 89.6 million singles head over half of their households - 50.3 percent, per the 2006 U.S. Census.”

That figure does include single parents and, I’m sure, those who share accommodation or “live in sin” (as we used to call it), so not all are living alone and cooking for one, but I think over half of them are.

Apparently this group is, “More racially diverse than the overall population, singles are younger, too - 57 percent are less than 45 years old, and four in ten are younger than 35.” The report includes all the usual disparities between male and female incomes; not necessarily a specific problem to singles, but does make budgeting harder for women coping alone on a meagre income.

Of course, it’s a marketing report, for marketers, so they wax lyrical about what products and services US singles are supposedly receptive to.

You might like to read the report to see if you agree, or disagree, first hand, with what’s been decided for you.

But it makes perfect sense that the subject of cooking for one has suddenly become popular, when you consider that at least 29.9 million people live alone in the US. These one-person households comprised 26 percent of all U.S. households, according to 2005 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Australia and Canada have similar figures, with 24%.

One of the two most significant changes in household composition across the UK and in Ireland over the last 20 years has been the rapid expansion of one-person households. In Scotland, “The most marked increase in one-person households between 1981 and 2001 was observed amongst men aged 35-44 (up from 9% to 20%) and women aged 25-34 (up from 3% to 10%).”

This report on Solo Livers in England and Wales, suggests that, “the elder population have contributed most to the demographic change”, but that, “solo living is a growing trend in all age groups within the adult population. The largest increase, and also an accelerating increase, is in the proportion of those living alone who are below pensionable age.”

“Solo living is also a feature of urban life, with over 40% of households in part of Central London, 39.1% of households in Manchester and 33.2% of households in Birmingham, containing people who live on their own.”

In the UK as a whole, in 2004, 29% were one-person households.

“China, the most populous nation on Earth, could find itself dealing with the combined frustrations of as many as 40 million single men by 2020 because its one-child policy is creating a shortage of female babies.” Eventually, many of those men are going to be living alone, cooking fried rice for one.

The figure given in this list for one person households here in Spain is 4%, but a report recently on TV said there were 5 million one-person households in Spain, which would be just over 11% of the 44 million total population.

One-person households are the fastest growing type of household, even in this country, which you more often equate with the traditional image of larger families. That being so, presumably, this story is repeated world over.

But, in Britain the Government National Statistics talk of,

“one-person households, which by definition is not a family“

Oh, I know it’s just a word, but I do resent the inference here that, we are less human and not as important as the rest of the “normal” population.

“The rise of solo living is frequently seen as an indicator of ‘individualization’. White (1994) suggests that there is a strong cultural preference in the USA for privacy and independence, and when individuals have sufficient resources one of the ways they are able to realise such values by living alone.” [Source]

Whilst I choose to live alone for pretty much those reasons, I don’t necessarily think that applies to the majority, however. Not everyone who gets divorced wanted to do so, I’m sure nobody chooses to be widowed and one other reason given for solo living is as “a response to labour market instability.”

Singles might be in a better position to jump when the boss says jump, or move to other areas to take the jobs available, but first this seems to undermine our right to have a stable home. We’re not all bag people, you know! Secondly, it infers that people are having to choose between job or relationship. That’s as bad as the old days when women had to choose between a career or marriage.

And in other words, it’s not necessarily “our fault” (or choice), yet, I do think we are given a raw deal, both by governments and marketers, who seem to think we’re all well off, self-serving, independent types, who’ve made our choice and now we can pay for it.

For example, in the areas of Europe where I’ve lived and I’m sure it’s a similar story elsewhere, unless singles are also pensioners or have dependent children, we simply don’t count for housing or other benefits.

Adequate housing is an issue: mortgages are prohibitive or out of reach, private landlords only take our money, governments offer us no housing options at all.

Jobs, of course, are an issue for everyone, but we are affected more when we have less alternatives, like benefits, available to help us through rough patches. It’s all very well expecting parents to be responsible for an 18 year old, but I think there comes a limit, both to expectations and family resources.

Those products that are aimed at us - here I’m thinking of things like single serving meals - cost more per portion than they would to buy the same meals for a whole family. Convenience may look good on the packet, but I think they’re taking us for mugs. Whether you can afford it or not, is not the issue. Why should we pay extra for the “privilege” of being single?

Certainly, in most of the English speaking world, one-person households now form a very sizable minority and, while I don’t want this to sound like I’m promoting some sort of political issue, you know, actually, it is.

We vote, we have opinions and we exist in numbers that really count.

Conversely, because we often feel more vulnerable or lacking in support alone, we don’t always claim our rights or make our voices heard. But as these figures suggest, we should speak up and we should be given better consideration, because there’s an important number of us - possibly between one quarter and one third of the world’s adult population - “alone together.”

Related links:
Briefing on the growth in one person households: Trends, causes and issues arising
Living Alone: Its Place in Household Formation and Change
One person households by country