Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
-
- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Population data
- Consumer data
- Advertising creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
-
- Demographic profile of singles
-
- Figure 1: Total population and singles aged 18 or older, by age, 2011
-
- Figure 2: Total population and singles aged 18 or older, by race/Hispanic origin, 2011
- Background factors
-
- Figure 3: Number and percentage of unmarrieds and marrieds, by gender, 1960 versus 2010
-
- Figure 4: Estimated median age at first marriage, by gender, 1950-2010
- The single consumer
- Living situation
-
- Figure 5: Residence and home ownership status, by marital status, April 2010-June 2011
- Employment and current financial situation
- Discretionary spending
-
- Figure 6: Discretionary spending, by marital/relationship status and dating status, November 2011
- Lifestyle attitudes
-
- Figure 7: Attitudes toward life, by marital status, and by not married gender, April 2010-June 2011
- Dating habits
-
- Figure 8: Singles’ dating habits, by gender, November 2011
- Dining and food choices
- Past seven day leisure activities
-
- Figure 9: Past seven day leisure activities, by marital/relationship status and dating status, November 2011
- Media usage
-
- Figure 10: Media use in the last 30 days, by marital status and by not married gender, April 2010-June 2011
- Impact of race and Hispanic origin
- Singles with children
- What we think
Insights and Opportunities
-
- Collaborative consumption
- Registries for singles
- Target the singles that have money to spend
Inspire Insights
-
- Trend: Power of One
- Many singles are satisfied with being solo
- Recognizing the individual key to communication
- Single but not necessarily alone
- Trend: Without a Care
- Single Baby Boomers may be taking care of others
- Tech companies help single seniors age in place, but more advances needed
Demographic Profile of Singles
-
- Key points
- More than four in 10 U.S. adults are single
-
- Figure 11: Total population and singles aged 18 or older, by age, 2011
- The vast majority of singles have never been married
-
- Figure 12: Single people aged 18 or older, by age and previous marital status, 2011
- Men comprise larger percentage of young singles, tables turn with age
-
- Figure 13: Single people, by gender and age, 2011
- Blacks are more likely to be single than whites or Asians
-
- Figure 14: Total population and singles aged 18 or older, by race/Hispanic origin, 2011
- One income over two
-
- Figure 15: Personal income distribution of U.S. population aged 18 or older, by marital status, 2010
-
- Figure 16: Percentage of income spent on select products and services, by marital status, 2009
Background Factors
-
- Key points
- Marriage rate declining
-
- Figure 17: Annual number of marriages, 1950-2010
- Figure 18: Percentage of population aged 15+ who are married, 1960-2010
- Americans are staying single longer
-
- Figure 19: Estimated median age at first marriage, by gender, 1950-2010
- Increasing divorce among those aged 50+ creating a new batch of older singles
- Singlehood celebrated, stigma fades
-
- Figure 20: Number and percentage of unmarrieds, 1960 and 2010
Innovations and Innovators
-
- Group Gifts from Crate & Barrel
-
- Figure 21: Crate & Barrel Group Gifts, January 2012
- Grubwithus allows single foodies to enjoy dining out
- Norwegian Cruise Line focuses on one traveler at a time
-
- Figure 22: Cruise ship vacation in the last three years, by key demographics, April 2010-June 2011
- Quality in convenience
Marketing Strategies
-
- Overview
- Brand analysis: Wells Fargo
-
- Figure 23: Brand analysis of Wells Fargo, 2012
- TV presence
-
- Figure 24: Wells Fargo TV ad, “Real Help,” 2011
- Figure 25: Wells Fargo TV ad, “Life Strategy,” 2011
- Other initiatives
-
- Figure 26: Wells Fargo magazine ad, January 2012
- Brand analysis: AT&T
-
- Figure 27: Brand analysis of AT&T, 2012
- TV presence
-
- Figure 28: AT&T TV ad, “Ski Lift Incident,” 2011
-
- Figure 29: AT&T TV ad, “Munch,” 2011
- Online initiatives
-
- Figure 30: AT&T Facebook page, January 2012
- Brand analysis: Freschetta
-
- Figure 31: Brand analysis of Freschetta, 2012
- TV presence
-
- Figure 32: Freschetta TV ad, “Inspiring,” 2011
- Online initiatives
-
- Figure 33: Fresh Ideas website, January 2012
- Brand analysis: eHarmony
-
- Figure 34: Brand analysis of eHarmony.com, 2012
- TV presence
-
- Figure 35: eHarmony.com TV ad, “Sense of Control,” 2011
- Online initiatives
-
- Figure 36: eHarmony.com, January 2012
- Other initiatives
Living Situation
-
- Key points
- While outpaced by marrieds, a majority of singles are homeowners
-
- Figure 37: Residence and home ownership status, by marital status, April 2010-June 2011
- Youngest and oldest singles are most likely to say they are homeowners
-
- Figure 38: Unmarried respondents’ residence and home ownership status, by age, April 2010-June 2011
Employment and Current Financial Situation
-
- Key points
- Singles are more likely to be unemployed and feel financially insecure
-
- Figure 39: Current employment status and attitudes toward personal finances, by marital status, April 2010-June 2011
- Single women are good targets for financial advice
-
- Figure 40: Unmarried respondents’ current employment status and attitudes toward personal finances, by gender, April 2010-June 2011
- Older singles have things under control
-
- Figure 41: Unmarried respondents’ current employment status and attitudes toward personal finances, by age, April 2010-June 2011
- Education level plays a large role in employment status
-
- Figure 42: Unmarried respondents’ current employment status, by education, April 2010-June 2011
- Struggling singles less likely to be on the dating scene
-
- Figure 43: Current financial situation, by marital/relationship status and whether or not on the dating scene, November 2011
Discretionary Spending
-
- Key points
- Couples outspend singles in all categories except for personal treats
-
- Figure 44: Discretionary spending allocation, by category, by marital/relationship status and dating status, November 2011
- Single women spend on others and self-improvement, men spend on fun
-
- Figure 45: Singles’ discretionary spending allocation, by category, by gender, November 2011
- 25-34s are top-spending singles
-
- Figure 46: Singles’ discretionary spending allocation, by category, by age, November 2011
Lifestyle Attitudes
-
- Key points
- Singles’ lifestyle attitudes
- Singles are less happy, more career-driven than marrieds
-
- Figure 47: Attitudes toward life, by marital status, April 2010-June 2011
- Single women happier with life, are more optimistic than single men
-
- Figure 48: Unmarried respondents’ attitudes toward life, by gender, April 2010-June 2011
- Older singles happiest, most optimistic, but half still have their worries
-
- Figure 49: Unmarried respondents’ attitudes toward life, by age, April 2010-June 2011
- Singles from households with lowest incomes feel most alone
-
- Figure 50: Unmarried respondents’ attitudes toward life, by household income, April 2010-June 2011
- Divorced singles do more with only themselves in mind
-
- Figure 51: Lifestyle attitudes, by marital/relationship status, November 2011
- Singles’ attitudes toward their lifestyle compared with their coupled friends
- Singles who were previously attached are more likely to feel free
-
- Figure 52: Singles' attitudes toward their lifestyle compared with their coupled friends, by relationship status, November 2011
- Female singles keep it simple, but are worried by finances
-
- Figure 53: Singles' attitudes toward their lifestyle compared with their coupled friends, by gender, November 2011
- Older singles value their freedom, younger singles like to socialize
-
- Figure 54: Singles' attitudes toward their lifestyle compared with their coupled friends, by age, November 2011
- Non-dating singles value time, dating singles invest in appearance
-
- Figure 55: Singles' attitudes toward their lifestyle compared with their coupled friends, by dating status, November 2011
Dating Habits
-
- Key points
- Only one third of singles are on the dating scene, female singles cautious
-
- Figure 56: Singles’ dating habits, by gender, November 2011
- Younger singles more likely to be dating than older singles
-
- Figure 57: Singles’ dating habits, by age, November 2011
- Only 6% of singles say they are using online dating sites
-
- Figure 58: Incidence of past 30 day personal ad/dating service website visitation, by key demographics, April 2010-June 2011
Dining and Food Choices
-
- Key points
- Dining at home
- Convenience is key, especially among young singles
-
- Figure 59: Attitudes toward food, by marital status, and unmarried respondents’ by age, April 2010-June 2011
- Singles warm to frozen food, marketers speak to single women
-
- Figure 60: Household use of prepared meals, by marital status, and unmarried respondents’ by gender, April 2010-June 2011
- Shelf-stable finds favor with singles in households earning less than $25K
-
- Figure 61: Unmarried respondents’ household use of prepared meals, by household income, April 2010-June 2011
- Dining away from home
- Fast food popular, oldest and lower-income singles least interested
-
- Figure 62: Unmarried respondents’ fast food and drive-in restaurant use, by age, April 2010-June 2011
-
- Figure 63: Burger King delivery service website, January 2012
- Figure 64: Unmarried respondents’ fast food and drive-in restaurant use, by household income, April 2010-June 2011
- Other restaurants could do more to welcome singles
-
- Figure 65: Unmarried respondents’ family restaurant and steak house use, by household income, April 2010-June 2011
Past Seven Day Leisure Activities
-
- Key points
- Female singles can be reached through food
-
- Figure 66: Singles’ past seven day leisure activities, by gender, November 2011
- Age is a strong determinant of singles’ activities
-
- Figure 67: Singles’ past seven day leisure activities, by age, November 2011
- Singles from $50K-74.9K households engage in the most varied activities
-
- Figure 68: Singles’ past seven day leisure activities, by household income, November 2011
- Singles on the dating scene can be targeted through at-home socializing
-
- Figure 69: Past seven day leisure activities, by marital/relationship status and dating status, November 2011
Media Usage
-
- Key points
- Singles have less-varied media consumption than marrieds
-
- Figure 70: English-language media use in the last 30 days, by marital status, April 2010-June 2011
- Single women easier to reach than single men
-
- Figure 71: Unmarried respondents’ English-language media use in the last 30 days, by gender, April 2010-June 2011
- Growth in web use among those aged 45+ represents opportunity for outreach
-
- Figure 72: Unmarried respondents’ English-language media use in the last 30 days, by age, April 2010-June 2011
- Singles from households earning less than $25K are less engaged in media
-
- Figure 73: Unmarried respondents’ English-language media use in the last 30 days, by household income, April 2010-June 2011
- Singles stay connected
-
- Figure 74: Attitudes toward cell phones as a social connection tool, by marital status, April 2010-June 2011
- Need for connection resonates most with single women
-
- Figure 75: Unmarried respondents’ attitudes toward cell phones as a social connection tool, by gender, April 2010-June 2011
- Young singles pursue connection
-
- Figure 76: Unmarried respondents’ attitudes toward cell phones as a social connection tool, by age, April 2010-June 2011
- Singles from households earning $75K+ most likely to connect
-
- Figure 77: Unmarried respondents’ attitudes toward cell phones as a social connection tool, by household income, April 2010-June 2011
Travel and Vacation
-
- Key points
- Singles may need encouragement to travel abroad
-
- Figure 78: Foreign travel in the last three years, by key demographics, April 2010-June 2011
- Social networking could be useful to single travelers
-
- Figure 79: Domestic travel in the last 12 months, by key demographics, April 2010-June 2011
Impact of Race and Hispanic Origin
-
- Key points
- Black singles most likely to be parents
-
- Figure 80: Unmarried respondents’ incidence of being a parent or guardian of a child either living in the same household or a different household, by race/Hispanic origin, April 2010-June 2011
- Black singles are less likely to be seeking a relationship
-
- Figure 81: Singles’ dating habits, by race/Hispanic origin, November 2011
- Hispanic singles are happy about life, Asian singles seek more
-
- Figure 82: Unmarried respondents’ attitudes toward life, by race/Hispanic origin, April 2010-June 2011
- Black singles are a good target for career and financial services
-
- Figure 83: Unmarried respondents’ current employment status, by race/Hispanic origin, April 2010-June 2011
-
- Figure 84: Unmarried respondents’ attitudes toward personal finances, by race/Hispanic origin, April 2010-June 2011
- Black singles are the least likely to say they have extra money
-
- Figure 85: Singles’ discretionary spending, by race/Hispanic origin, November 2011
- A closer look at the interests of Asian singles
-
- Figure 86: Unmarried respondents’ attitudes toward apparel, by race/Hispanic origin, April 2010-June 2011
- Figure 87: Unmarried respondents’ regular exercise program in the last 12 months, by race/Hispanic origin, April 2010-June 2011
-
- Figure 88: Unmarried respondents’ attitudes toward cell phones as a social connection tool, by race/Hispanic origin, April 2010-June 2011
- Asian singles are active consumers of media
-
- Figure 89: Unmarried respondents’ media usage in the last seven days/30 days, by race/Hispanic origin, April 2010-June 2011
- Black singles are a good target for convenience foods
-
- Figure 90: Unmarried respondents’ household use of prepared meals, by race/Hispanic origin, April 2010-June 2011
Cluster Analysis
-
- Social Singles
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunity
- Struggling Unattached
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunity
- Satisfied Solos
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunity
- Down Home
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunity
- Cluster characteristics
-
- Figure 91: Singles’ lifestyle clusters, November 2011
- Figure 92: Singles’ living situation during the majority of the year, by lifestyle clusters, November 2011
- Figure 93: Singles’ relationship status, by lifestyle clusters, November 2011
-
- Figure 94: Singles’ current financial situation, by lifestyle clusters, November 2011
- Figure 95: Singles’ discretionary spending, by lifestyle clusters, November 2011
-
- Figure 96: Singles’ lifestyle attitudes, by lifestyle clusters, November 2011
- Figure 97: Singles' attitudes toward their lifestyle compared with their coupled friends, by lifestyle clusters, November 2011
-
- Figure 98: Singles’ dating habits, by lifestyle clusters, November 2011
- Figure 99: Singles’ past seven day leisure activities, by lifestyle clusters, November 2011
- Cluster demographics
-
- Figure 100: Singles’ lifestyle clusters, by gender, November 2011
- Figure 101: Singles’ lifestyle clusters, by age, November 2011
- Figure 102: Singles’ lifestyle clusters, by household income, November 2011
- Figure 103: Singles’ lifestyle clusters, by race/Hispanic origin, November 2011
- Figure 104: Singles’ lifestyle clusters, by presence of children in household, November 2011
-
- Figure 105: Singles’ lifestyle clusters, by census region, November 2011
- Figure 106: Singles’ lifestyle clusters, by urban area, November 2011
- Cluster methodology
Custom Consumer Groups: Singles with Children
-
- Key points
- More than one third of single respondents are parents
-
- Figure 107: Parent or guardian of a child either living in the same household or a different household, by marital status, April 2010-June 2011
-
- Figure 108: Parent or guardian of a child either living in the same household or a different household, by marital status and gender, April 2010-June 2011
- More than two thirds of singles with children have never been married…
-
- Figure 109: Current marital status, by marital status and presence of children in household, April 2010-June 2011
- …but 16% are engaged
-
- Figure 110: Engaged to be married, by marital status and presence of children in household, April 2010-June 2011
- Singles with children have a lot to think about…
-
- Figure 111: Attitudes toward life, by marital status and presence of children in household, April 2010-June 2011
- …including financial security
-
- Figure 112: Attitudes toward personal finances, by marital status and presence of children in household, April 2010-June 2011
- Singles with children turn to convenience food
-
- Figure 113: Household use of prepared meals, by marital status and presence of children in household, April 2010-June 2011
- Travel less likely for singles with children
-
- Figure 114: Unmarried respondents’ travel, by presence of children, April 2010-June 2011
Appendix: Other Useful Consumer Tables
-
- Discretionary spending
-
- Figure 115: Singles’ discretionary spending, by household income, November 2011
-
- Figure 116: Discretionary spending by urban area and single, November 2011
- Singles' attitudes toward their lifestyle compared with their coupled friends
-
- Figure 117: Singles' attitudes toward their lifestyle compared with their coupled friends, by dating habits, November 2011
-
- Figure 118: Singles' attitudes toward their lifestyle compared with their coupled friends, by household income and single, November 2011
- Dating habits
-
- Figure 119: Dating habits, by household income, November 2011
- Past seven day leisure activities
-
- Figure 120: Singles’ past seven day leisure activities, by relationship status, November 2011
Back to top