Why we live alone--and what it means for the climate and our sense of community

[erronis]

https://phys.org/news/2026-05-climate-community.html
Ulrika Oredsson, Lund University

Solo living in your own home places a greater strain on the planet's resources than living with others, as everyone needs their own appliances--a toaster, a washing machine and so on. The Nordic countries stand out: Almost half of all households are solo-living households. Sustainability researcher Tullia Jack interviewed people who live alone about the reasons for this and hopes for new forms of co-living. The study is published in the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

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"Many of the people I interviewed would prefer to live with someone else--ideally a romantic partner, but also friends or in a co-living situation. Living alone was just something that had happened," says Jack. She adds that the housing market does not make it easy for people to share living arrangements: new buildings are designed for nuclear families or single people, and it is more difficult for people who are not in a relationship to share a lease or take out a mortgage.

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People who feel that, given their age, they have "outgrown" co-living have often lived with others in the past, for example while studying or for financial reasons. Many feel that the dynamics of co-living eventually becomes too demanding, or that this type of accommodation is seen as something for young people. At the same time, the sentiment was that those seeking co-living are becoming increasingly younger.

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Then there were those who, for various reasons, actively sought solitude and expressed a strong need for privacy and not to be disturbed by others.

Men are more dissatisfied with solo living

Jack noticed a pattern that it was mostly men who were unhappy about living alone and saw it as stigmatizing. Among women, however--particularly older women who had been in previous relationships--there were more who were absolutely unwilling to share a home with a partner again, citing previous relationships where the division of household chores had been unequal. As one put it, "I was free when we were together, but not free enough."

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