Documenting America's Most Unrecognized Social Change of the Last Half-Century

Earlier this week, Eric Klinenberg spoke with PBS' Newshour about his new book, "Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone", and the biggest social change of the last 60 years that we've failed to adequately recognize.

1 minute read

March 29, 2012, 7:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


The subject of Klinenberg's book is the "Singleton", who represents the dramatic rise in single adults, and adults living alone since 1950. In that year, 22% of American adults were single, and 4 million lived alone. Today, more than 50% of adults are single, and 31 million live alone.

Ray Suarez, with the Newshour, quizzes Klinenberg on the causes for, and implications of, this profound demographic shift. While the paths to a single life may be diverse, Klinenberg notes that, "people who live alone are opting to do so. Now, they might not aspire to be on their own, but they all have other choices available to them, really regardless of what age they are."

Of interesting consequence for the physical environment is that cities are much better equipped to accommodate singletons. However, "as our society ages and the boomer generation begins to age alone, we will find that our housing is not quite up to the challenge of giving people what they want, which is a place of their own, if they can't have the right partner, but also connection to other people and to all kinds of care and support."

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 in PBS NewsHour

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight