Executive Summary

1. Introduction

Report Focus

Definition

2. Strategic Overview

Demographic Trends

Population By Age And Sex

Table.1: Uk Population By Sex And Age (000),

Marriage And Divorce Trends

Table.2: Number Of Marriages, Divorces And Remarriages

Average Age At First Marriage

Table.3: Mean Age Of First Marriage In England And Wales, By Gender,,,,, And

Civil Partnerships

Table.4: Uk Civil Partnerships† By Sex, December-

Family Formation

Table.5: Mean Age Of Mother At Birth Of First Child

Single-person Households

Table.6: Percentage Of Single-person Households In Great Britain (% Of Households),,,, And

People Living Alone

Table.7: British Adults Living In One-person Households

Economic Trends

Gross Domestic Product

Table.8: Uk Gross Domestic Product At Current

Household Disposable Income

Table.9: Uk Household Disposable Income Per Capita

Unemployment

Table.10: Actual Number Of Unemployed Persons

3. Being Single

Length Of Time Spent Single

Table.1: Length Of Time Spent Being Single

Attitudes Towards Being Single

Advantages Of Being Single

Table.2: Attitudes Towards Being Single

Disadvantages Of Being Single

Table.3: Attitudes Towards Being Single

Finding A Partner

Attitudes Towards Finding A Partner

Table.4: Attitudes Towards Finding A Partner

Methods Used To Find A New Partner

Table.5: Methods Used In Great Britain To Find Either

4. Home And Finance

Home

Home Ownership

Table.1: Home Ownership By Marital Status By Type

Ownership Of Computers

Table.2: Ownership Of A Personal Computer

Access To The Internet

Table.3: Ownership Of Internet Connection In The Home

Ownership Of Games Consoles

Table.4: Ownership Of A Games Console By Marital Status

Ownership Of High-definition Televisions

Table.5: Ownership Of High-definition Televisions

Satellite/cable Television

Table.6: Ownership Of Satellite/cable Television

Finance

Credit Cards

Table.7: Ownership Of Credit Cards By Marital Status

Table.8: Average Credit Card Monthly Spend

Table.9: How Credit Card Balance Is Settled By Marital Status

Loans

Table.10: Ownership Of Loans Other Than Mortgage

Table.11: Value Of Loans Taken Out By Marital Status

Table.12: Purpose Of Loans Taken Out By Marital Status

Donating To Charity

Table.13: Consumers Who Donate To Charity, By Marital Status (% Of Respondents),

5. Leisure And Holidays

Leisure

Leisure Activities

Table.1: Leisure Activities Taken Part

Eating Out

Table.2: Visit To A Restaurant In The Last Months

Table.3: Frequency Of Eating In A Restaurant

Holidays

Number Of Holidays Taken

Table.4: Number Of Holidays/short Breaks Taken In The Past Months By Marital Status (% Of Adults),

Type Of Holiday Taken

Table.5: Type Of Holiday Taken By Marital Status

Holiday Activities Enjoyed

Table.6: Holidays/short Breaks Activities Enjoyed

Going On Holiday Alone

Table.7: Attitudes Of Single People Towards

6. An International Perspective

The Us

Marriage

Table.1: Selected Social Characteristics In The

Single Person Households

Table.2: Single Person Households In The Us

Table.3: Top Twenty Us Regions By Percentage Of

Europe

Table.4: Marriage And Divorce Rates Per,000 Population

7. Consumer Dynamics

Overview

Table.1: Summary Of Attitudes And Behaviour Of Single People (% Of Respondents),

Length Of Time Spent Single — How Long Have You Been Single?

"i Have Been Single For Less Than Months"

Table.2: People Who Have Been Single For Less Than

"i Have Been Single For Between Months And Less Than Years"

Table.3: People Who Have Been Single For Between Months And Less Than Years (% Of Respondents),

"i Have Been Single For Between Years And Less Than Years"

Table.4: People Who Have Been Single For Between Years And Less Than Years (% Of Respondents),

"i Have Been Single For Years Or More"

Table.5: People Who Have Been Single For Between Years Or More (% Of Respondents),

Advantages Of Being Single —what Is The Best Thing About Being Single?

"the Best Thing About Being Single Is Having The Freedom To Do What I Want With My Time"

Table.6: Attitudes Towards The Best Thing About Being Single (% Of Respondents),

"the Best Thing About Being Single Is Not Being Nagged By A Spouse Or Partner"

Table.7: Attitudes Towards The Best Thing About Being Single (% Of Respondents),

"the Best Thing About Being Single Is A Sense Of Achievement Of Coping On Your Own"

Table.8: Attitudes Towards The Best Thing About Being Single (% Of Respondents),

"the Best Thing About Being Single Is The Freedom To Spend Money How You Like"

Table.9: Attitudes Towards The Best Thing About Being Single (% Of Respondents),

"the Best Thing About Being Single Is Not Having Anyone Else To Look After"

Table.10: Attitudes Towards The Best Thing About Being Single (% Of Respondents),

Disadvantages Of Being Single — What Is The Worst Thing About Being Single?

"the Worst Thing About Being Single Is Having No-one To Talk To"

Table.11: Attitudes Towards The Worst Thing About Being Single (% Of Respondents),

"the Worst Thing About Being Single Is Having To Go To Places Alone"

Table.12: Attitudes Towards The Worst Thing About Being Single (% Of Respondents),

"the Worst Thing About Being Single Is Having To Do All The Household Chores Yourself"

Table.13: Attitudes Towards The Worst Thing About Being Single (% Of Respondents),

"the Worst Thing About Being Single Is The Lack Of Physical

Table.14: Attitudes Towards The Worst Thing About Being Single (% Of Respondents),

"the Worst Thing About Being Single Is Money Worries"

Table.15: Attitudes Towards The Worst Thing About Being Single (% Of Respondents),

"the Worst Thing About Being Single Is People Assuming You Have A Partner"

Table.16: Attitudes Towards The Worst Thing About Being Single (% Of Respondents),

Attitudes Towards Finding A Partner — Would You Like To Find A Partner?

"i Would Like To Find A Partner But I Haven't Found The Right

Table.17: Attitudes Towards Finding A Partner

"i Would Like To Find A Partner But I'm Too Busy"

Table.18: Attitudes Towards Finding A Partner

"i Would Like To Find A Partner But I'm Wary Of Committing"

Table.19: Attitudes Towards Finding A Partner

"i Would Not Like To Find A Partner"

Table.20: Attitudes Towards Finding A Partner

Going On Holiday Alone — Do You Tend To Go On Holiday With Family/friends Rather Than On Your Own?

"i Tend To Go On Holiday With Family Or Friends Rather Than On

Table.21: Attitudes Towards Going On Holiday

Going On Specialist Holidays — Have You Been On A Specialist Holiday For Single People?

"i Have Been On A Specialist Holiday For Single People"

Table.22: Usage Of Specialist Holidays For Single People

Implications For The Singles Market

8. The Future

Demographic Forecasts

Table.1: Forecast Uk Population† By Sex And Age (000),

Economic Trends

Gross Domestic Product

Table.2: Forecast Uk Growth In Gross Domestic Product

Unemployment

Table.3: Forecast Actual Number Of Unemployed Persons

9. Further Sources

Publications

General Sources

Government Publications

Other Sources

Key Note Sources