Living alone on the rise - but what does that mean?

Perth's inner city proportion of one-person households is 63%.
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Tuesday, 2 September 2008

A new study at the University of Adelaide will look at the increasing phenomenon of lone-person households and what that means for our lives and society.

Australians aged 30 to 55 who are living alone are needed to take part in the study.

"In contemporary Western society, the increase in lone-person households has been one of the most substantial changes in family living since the baby boom," says the leader of the study, PhD student Ruthie O'Reilly from the University's Discipline of Gender, Work and Social Inquiry.

"The emergence of one-person households is geographically widespread and particularly prevalent in world cities such as London, Paris, Stockholm and New York. As more and more people are living alone either by choice or circumstances, in some cities as many as 50% of people are now living alone, and this number is expected to continue growing.

"Consistent with the worldwide trend, the number of people living alone in Australia is expected to escalate from 1.8 million in 2001, to between 2.8 and 3.7 million by 2026. These figures may even underestimate the momentum of the trend, as researchers in the field find that forecasters' estimates have been well exceeded in some cities," she says.

Ms O'Reilly says Perth's inner city proportion of one-person households stands at around 63%, with Adelaide's inner city at 44%, Darwin 43%, Melbourne 38%, Sydney 36% and Brisbane 31%. Some areas within the inner city have a much higher proportion of one-person households, such as The Rocks in Sydney, which is at 55%.

"Very little is known about how people who live alone manage their lives and connections with others, and we're interested in exploring these issues," Ms O'Reilly says. "Gaining a better understanding about people's experiences of living alone will help us to better understand how society is changing and what we can expect to happen in the future.

"For example, to what extent are people substituting the bonds of friendship for those of traditional family units? Intimacy and care are increasingly taking place beyond the family, between partners who are not living together, and within friendship networks. This research aims to identify the full diversity of ways in which individuals who live alone organise their personal lives and interpret their living arrangements."

For the study, Ms O'Reilly needs Australians aged between 30 to 55, who are living alone and have been doing so for the last three years or more, to discuss their experience of solo living in a confidential interview.

To find out more, members of the public can contact:

Ruthie O'Reilly
Phone: (08) 8303 3671
Mobile: 0400 370 901
Email: ruth.oreilly@adelaide.edu.au

Or visit the Living Alone Study on the homepage of the University of Adelaide's Discipline of Gender, Work and Social Inquiry.

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