4102.0 - Australian Social Trends, 1996
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/06/1996
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Living Arrangements: People who live alone
Marital status Widowed people, followed by divorced or separated people, were more likely to live alone than those who had never been married or those who were currently married. In 1995, 67% of widowed women and 64% of widowed men lived alone. There were almost five times more widowed women who lived alone (414,000) than widowed men (86,000), a consequence of the greater life expectancy of women. This difference is the main contributor to the overall higher proportion of women living alone (11.5% compared to 9.5%). 31% of women and 54% of men who were divorced or separated lived alone. This difference is due to women being more likely to have custody of the children after marital breakdown (see Australian Social Trends 1995, Children in families). While there were over one and a half times as many women as men who were divorced or separated, more of the men (199,000) than the women (178,000) lived alone. Of people who had never been married, 17% of the men (343,000) and 13% (202,000) of the women lived alone. PROPORTION OF PEOPLE LIVING ALONE
States There was some difference between states in the proportions of people living alone. In 1995, 13% of people in South Australia and 12% in Tasmania lived alone compared to 9% in the Australian Capital Territory and 10% in the Northern Territory. The proportion of people living alone increased between 1986 and 1995 for all states. The differences between states in the proportions of people living alone reflect the different marital status structures of their populations which in turn reflect their different age structures (see Population - State summary tables). Standardising for marital status reduced the differences between the states. The standardised proportions of people living alone ranged from 10% in the Australian Capital Territory to 13% in South Australia and 12% in Tasmania. The higher standardised rates in South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia suggest that their age and sex structures have an effect independent of their marital status structures. Differences in the tendency to live alone between capital cities and other areas of the state were small. Proportions were generally marginally higher in capital cities. PROPORTION OF PEOPLE LIVING ALONE, 1995
Source: Household Estimates, Australia (unpublished data) Country of birth The proportion of people living alone varied quite substantially by country of birth. Some of the country of birth groups with high proportions of people living alone (Germany and Poland) also had high median ages (56 and 53 years respectively). In contrast, the Viet Nam born population which had the lowest proportion of people living alone had the lowest median age (33 years). When standardised for marital status, the proportions of people living alone showed less variation by country of birth. In particular, the standardised figures for the Italian and Greek born populations were 14%, indicating that their likelihood of living alone was similar to that of people born in other overseas countries but that their marital status distributions were different. Both groups had relatively small proportions of widowed people partly because of the tendency for older people in these groups to return to their country of birth (see Australian Social Trends 1994, Emigration). PROPORTION OF PEOPLE LIVING ALONE, 1995
Source: Household Estimates, Australia (unpublished data) Housing People who live alone are more likely than others to live in flats, units or apartments. In 1994, 28% of people who lived alone lived in such dwellings compared to 12% of all households. The likelihood of living in a flat, unit or apartment decreased with age, from 50% of people aged 15-24 who lived alone to 19% of those aged 55-64, then increased for the 65 and over age group. This is related to older people's circumstances and housing needs (see Housing for older people). 35% of people living alone were renters compared to 28% of all households. The likelihood of renting declined with age, from 79% of people aged 15-24 living alone to 21% of those aged 65 and over. Owners who lived alone were most likely to be aged 65 or over while purchasers were most likely to be aged 35-44. This pattern is similar to the pattern for all households1. PROPORTION OF PEOPLE LIVING ALONE WHO LIVED IN FLATS, UNITS OR APARTMENTS, 1994 Source: Australian Housing Survey, 1994 (unpublished data) Time use Among those who live alone, young people spend less time alone than older people. In 1992, people aged 15-24 spent 10 hours 29 minutes alone per day, compared to 14 hours 32 minutes per day for those aged 25-59 and 19 hours 11 minutes for those aged 60 and over. These times include time spent sleeping and on other personal care activities. When people under 60 who lived alone spent time with others, they spent most time with friends, including workmates, almost 10 hours per day for those aged 15-24 and over 6 hours per day for those aged 25-59. They also spent around 2 hours per day with their families. People aged 60 and over also spent about 2 hours per day with their families only, and another 2 hours per day with family and friends. Young people who lived alone spent more time on social and entertainment activities than older people. Those aged 15-24 spent nearly 3 hours per day on social and entertainment activities, compared to just over 2 hours spent by those aged 25-59 and just under 2 hours by those aged 60 and over. In contrast, older people spent nearly 5 hours per day on passive leisure activities such as watching TV, reading, relaxing etc, compared to just over 3 hours for those aged 25-59 and 1 and a half hours for those aged 15-24. People who lived alone spent less than 1 hour per day on active leisure. SOCIAL CONTEXT OF TIME SPENT BY PEOPLE LIVING ALONE, 1992
(b) Only administrative, service and shop personnel, crowd or undescribed people present. Source: Time Use Survey (unpublished data) Endnotes 1 Housing characteristics, costs and conditions (4182.0).
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