'Going Solo': What's the Appeal of Living Alone?

SOCIOLOGY -- March 27, 2012 at 3:31 PM EDT

'Going Solo': What's the Appeal of Living Alone?

Updated with broadcast video: The numbers tell it all.

In 1950, 22 percent of American adults were single, 4 million lived alone. They accounted for 9 percent of all households.

Flash forward to today. More than 50 percent of American adults are single, and 31 million -- about one out of every seven -- live alone. They make up 28 percent of all households.

These so-called singletons are the focus of a new book by Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist at New York University, "Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone."

My conversation with him will air on Tuesday's NewsHour. Below, you'll find an extended interview:

Update: Watch Klinenberg's discussion from Tuesday's NewsHour broadcast:

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