Survey Busts Bridget Jones Myth

New research based on data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) finds that men in their twenties are more likely to be single than women of the same age, and questions whether there really is a decline in young people getting married.

'Living like the (Bridget) Jones's?', a study by Roona Simpson, finds that the current proportions of young people remaining single are not unprecedented. BHPS data from throughout the twentieth century indicates that higher proportions of men and women born in the early part of the century remained single in their twenties than those born from the 1960s onwards.

The research also finds that, despite the media spotlight on single young women, more young men than women are remaining single. For example, only 7% of women born in the 1960s had never been married or cohabited at the age of 30, compared with 15% of men of the same age. Roona Simpson comments: 'Single women have been the subject of much attention recently in popular culture. But these figures suggest the need to consider the experiences of singleness for young men.'

This study is one of several being presented at the British Household Panel Survey and European Community Household Panel survey (ECHP) conferences taking place at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) from June 30th to July 2nd. The ISER has been conducting the BHPS since 1991, collecting and analysing data from a representative sample of 5,500 households. The ECHP is a harmonised cross-national longitudinal survey focusing on household income and living conditions.

The ISER web site is at www.iser.essex.ac.uk

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.