A Place for One

American Demographics,  Nov 1, 2003  

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Byline: James Morrow

THROUGHOUT HISTORY, PEOPLE WHO LIVED ALONE WERE thought to be either poor souls who hadn't been lucky enough to find a mate, or prickly sorts who never could keep one.

Not anymore. Today, more and more Americans of all ages are choosing to live by themselves - without romantic partners, spouses or roommates - and are having a tremendous impact on the way the rest of us live, shop and even mate. For the first time in history, there are now more people living alone in single-person households than there are traditional families of a husband, a wife and one child. According to the latest U.S. census, as of the year 2000 there were approximately 27.2 million single-person households versus about 16.6 million three-person family households. And the percentage of single-person households in the U.S. - now at 26 percent - has been steadily marching upward for at least three decades. In other words, the era of the home-alone household is here to stay.

But more importantly, these singles are not just recent graduates or widows and divorcees in their golden years. A recent study conducted by New York City-based marketing and design firm Harvest Communications revealed that while almost a quarter of single-person households are made up of young people under the age of 35 who have never been married, many of them are "financially independent singles who are postponing marriage and focusing on health issues earlier." The rest of the demographic is made up of older singles in their middle and senior years, many of whom are still very active. The AARP puts the number of "older adults" living alone at 15 million, or more than half the entire population of Americans who don't share their living space. As one middle-aged single survey respondent told Harvest, "Just because I'm divorced doesn't mean I'm dead ... not all of us are mowing the lawn on our John Deere every Saturday." And, in the words of another older woman, "I wish advertisers made senior life sound empowering and not like a disease."

In fact, across the board, members of single-person households tend to defy stereotypes that have become way out of date. Simply put, the image of the beer swilling, pizza gorging postgrad still trying to hold on to the remnants of his college glory days on a beat-up sofa with his former frat brothers, or the little old lady who enjoys mahjong and sits on a phone-book to see over the steering wheel as she makes her weekly drive to church are simply out of date. Indeed, a surprisingly large number of these singles, no matter their age, have two things in common: financial success and the willingness to spend to satisfy their desires. As an example, Yankelovich Monitor surveyed this demographic and found that across all age groups, members of single-person households are far more willing to spend money on themselves than others their own age who are in other living arrangements.

Those who live alone are an attractive market in certain product and service sectors. According to the 2001 Consumer Expenditure Survey, single-person households spend 153 percent more per person on rent than those who live in households of two people or more. They also spend more on alcohol ($314 per year compared with $181). And, they shell out more per person for reading materials, health care, and tobacco products and smoking supplies.

"What sets singles apart from the rest of the population is their different focus in terms of responsibilities," says Carey Earle, CEO of Harvest Communications. "We even see this difference between single luxury-goods purchasers and other luxury-goods purchasers. Because even at the very high-end luxury spend, even if a person is not at the highest earning level, they can afford more than someone at the same level who has kids. Their prioritization is different: being single allows them to be a little selfish." Earle is fond of noting that when Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw buys a $500 pair of shoes, she tells an amazed friend with two kids, "I can spend this kind of money on my shoes because that's the choice I've made: to be single."

Of course, not every single woman - or man, for that matter - is in the market for a pair of Manolo Blahniks that cost about the same as the weekly wage of an average American. When it comes to relaxation and recreation purchases, activities and attitudes quickly begin to divide, both by age (i.e., under or over 35 years old) and, to a greater extent, gender. Yankelovich found that young singles were more likely (by 12 percent and 6 percent, respectively) to still allow themselves expensive treats regardless of the state of the economy and answer in the affirmative to the question, "if I really want something, price is not an object." Older male singles, meanwhile, tended to seek out new experiences, while older single women tended to see volunteer work - both before and after retirement - as a "youthful outlet." And when they asked what people who live alone do when they are upset about world events, both younger and older single women were far more likely to listen to music, turn to friends and family, and meditate or pray than their male counterparts, who were more inclined to pour a drink and get as much news as possible.