Monday, June 17, 2002
Census reveals that more young Australians living alone
A story released today by the Australian Associated Press reports that
the latest snapshot of the Australian population has revealed that the
number of young people aged 20 to 29 living alone has almost doubled in the
past 30 years.
Data from the national census released today also found Australians were
more likely to have fewer children and to divorce.
"This is part of a wider trend with the proportion of people living alone increasing in each of the five-year age groups from 20-25 years to 60-64 years since 1971," the report said.
"For younger people, this may be because living alone is seen as a practical option between leaving the family home and moving into a couple or group household."
The data also showed a steady rise in the number of single-parent families since 1971 with a slight increase since 1996 due to increasing divorce rates.
Almost 2.5 million people, or 12.6 per cent of the population, was aged 65 and over, and the average age was 35.
