Pressemitteilung |

Living-Apart-Together in the second half of life - a necessary evil or a chosen lifestyle?

Official statistics only reflect the institutional partnership status, meaning that people who live alone in their home are considered to be partnerless. However, if we look at social status, we see that a growing number of people are living in a partnership but in two households of their own. This is referred to as Living-Apart-Together (LAT for short). The German Ageing Survey can be used to make statements about these people in the second half of life.

It is important to investigate this group of people in more detail in order to understand in which respects they are similar to couples living together, for example in terms of a reduced risk of loneliness or a greater sense of well-being, or to people without partners, for example with regard to poverty risks and housing cost burdens.

Just under 6 per cent of the German Ageing Survey respondents state that they live in a LAT partnership. But is this living arrangement self-chosen, is it the result of professional and/or private commitments in different locations, for example, or is it a precursor to moving in together?

The researchers approached this aspect by asking the question "And regardless of your circumstances, how much would you like to live in a shared household with your current (married) partner?". In the entire group of people aged 43 and over, more than half (54.7 per cent) stated that they would like to live in a shared household with their partner. However, there are clear differences according to age: While over 60 per cent of 43- to 65-year-olds would like to live together, only one in five people aged 66 and over (61.7 per cent vs. 20.2 per cent).

The figure shows the proportion of different partnerhsip arrangements among people aged 43 and over and the proportion of people in a LAT partnership who would like to have a shared household. 30.2 per cent of respondents are without a partneer, 5.8 per cent live in a LAT partnership and 64.0 per cent live in a partnership in a shared household. Among those living in a LAT partnership, 54.7 per cent stated that they would very much or at least somewhat like to have a shared household. But there are age differences: among 43-65 year olds, 61.7 per cent would like to have a shared household, compared to only 20.2 per cent of those aged 66 and over. Source: German Ageing Survey 2023 (ndistribution = 4,992; nLAT partnership = 218), weighted, rounded figures. Statistically significant (p<0.05).

This could be due to the fact that older people have lived in their neighbourhood for longer and therefore do not want to move, or have already become accustomed to living alone. Luisa Bischoff adds: "We also looked at differences between women and men, although these are not statistically significant. However, the distributions reflect the results of previous studies that men are more likely to want a partner with whom they live in a shared household and women are more likely to want a partner with whom they can spend their free time, but for whom they do not have to provide in a shared household."

The study also took into account the distribution of partnership living arrangements in general and the differences according to income level and level of education. The detailed results can be found in: Bischoff, L, Hameister. N., & Drewitz, M. (2024). Neither single nor living together: Living-Apart-Together in the second half of life [DZA Aktuell 02/2024 – English version]. Berlin: German Centre of Gerontology. doi.org/10.60922/010h-9c15

The German Ageing Survey (DEAS) is a representative cross-sectional and longitudinal survey of people in the second half of life. For more than two decades, the study has regularly surveyed people as they move into old and old age. The German Ageing Survey is funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ).

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