People are living alone more often than they used to. The problem is not just loneliness

A new study shows that living alone is often not a conscious choice, but a result of circumstances. People move to the city, break up, stay alone after the children have grown up, or simply do not find a convenient format for shared accommodation. And living alone can increase the sense of isolation and strain on resources: one person still needs a separate flat, appliances, heating, furniture and appliances.

Sustainability researcher Tullia Jack from Lund University conducted in-depth interviews with 23 singles living alone in Denmark. The work is published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

Details

The author of the study identified four main paths to living alone. The first is moving to the city. A person finds himself in a new place, without a stable circle of contacts, and renting a separate accommodation is often easier than finding suitable neighbours.

The second way - the feeling that a person has "outgrown" the joint rental. Many people lived with roommates when they were students or out of economy, but later began to perceive this format as temporary and too tedious.

The third way is the "empty nest", when the children grow up and move out, and the parent is left alone. The fourth is a conscious choice of privacy: some people really need to live without the constant presence of others.

Interestingly, many participants did not see living alone as an ideal option. According to Jack, some of the respondents would have liked to live with a partner, friends or in a shared housing format, but that's just the way circumstances were.

A separate theme was loneliness. In interviews, about half of the participants themselves said they felt isolated. The researcher notes that a person may have acquaintances, but not people they can turn to when they need help in everyday life or support in a difficult moment.

Why it matters

Living alone is not just a matter of personal comfort. It has to do with resource consumption. When several people live together, they share space, appliances, heating, furniture and many household items. When everyone lives separately, all these things need to be duplicated.

That's why sustainability researchers see shared housing as one of the relatively easy ways to reduce carbon footprints. In the Nordic countries, almost half of households are single-person households, so even small changes in housing habits can make a difference.

But an important caveat: it's not about forcing people to live together. For many, personal space is indeed essential. The problem is different - right now, the housing market often offers only two clear options: a separate flat for one person or housing for a traditional family. Flexible forms where you can share resources and still maintain privacy are in short supply.

Background

Gender differences were also noticeable in the study. Men were more likely to describe living alone as undesirable and associated with stigma. Among women, especially those who were older and after a past relationship, a different attitude was more common: they did not want to live with a partner again, also because of the previous unequal distribution of housework.

This is not to say that all men suffer from loneliness and all women are happy to live alone. The research is small and qualitative - 23 interviews, not a large national survey. But it shows well: the reasons for living alone are more complex than a simple choice between "I want to be alone" and "I don't want to be alone".

The author suggests developing more flexible forms of shared housing: co-housing for different ages, clear rules of joint renting, financial incentives for those who share housing, and services that help to find suitable neighbours. At the same time, such solutions should respect a person's right to privacy.

Source

Tullia Jack, "Home alone: solo living pathways, everyday experiences and policy implications for sharing and sustainability", Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 2026.