Eric Klinenberg: Going Solo

In 1950, only 22 percent of American adults were single. Today, nearly 50 percent are, and roughly one in every seven adults lives alone. In fact, adults living alone make up a larger percentage of US households than the nuclear family, creating the most significant demographic shift in our country since the Baby Boom. What effects, positive and negative, does this change hold for our country? Where are we now, and where do trends suggest we will be—as individuals and communities—in 50 years? New York University professor and Chicago native Eric Klinenberg, author of the widely debated Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone, gives a broad account of the current state of American society.