AIFS seminar series presentation
10:00 am – 11:15 am, Wednesday 24 August 2011, AIFS Seminar Room, Melbourne
Understanding the rise of solo living in Australia
Professor David de Vaus, Executive Dean, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences - The University of Queensland
Dr Lixia Qu, Senior Research Fellow - Australian Institute of Family Studies
View presentation slides (PDF 1.6 MB) | Read slide outline | Listen to the presentation audio (MP3 11.5 MB) | Read audio transcript
ABSTRACT
Living alone is an increasingly common living arrangement in developed economies. Explanations of the rise in living alone fall into three broad groups, demographic, cultural change and changed capacity to live alone. This seminar will consider two of these approaches in relation to living alone in Australia.
The first part will evaluate aspects of the demographic approach. In particular it will use census data to evaluate the extent to which increases in living alone are due to changes in the demographic profile (i.e. the growth in groups 'at risk' of living alone) or an increased rate at which people live alone
The second part will explore aspects of the cultural approach to understanding living alone. In particular it will use data from a specially designed national survey of 4000 Australians from across the adult life course. Data from this survey will to examine subjective components of living alone and address three specific matters:
- To what extent do people living alone attribute their living arrangement to their own choice?
- To what extent do people living alone feel that it is a positive experience? From their experience what are the main benefits and costs of living alone?
- Do people living alone hold values and attitudes (e.g. individualism, privacy, autonomy etc) that appear to make living alone an attractive living arrangement?