Alone again, naturally

American Demographics magazine says that, according to the latest U.S. census, there are now more people living alone in single-person households than there are traditional families of a husband, a wife and one child. As of the year 2000 there were approximately 27.2 million single-person households versus about 16.6 million three-person family households. Apparently a large number of these singles, no matter their age, have these two things in common: financial success and the willingness to spend to satisfy their desires. The bottom line: “If the prevailing ethic of 50 years ago prized settling down, starting and raising a family, today’s America puts individualism on a pedestal in a way it never has before. In that sense, those people who choose to live alone are making what can be considered a very American decision to live life on their own terms, creating their own communities without regrets or claims made on their lives that they don’t consent to.”

American Demographics 1 Nov 2003