All by myself An exploration of perceptions and experiences of single adults in Ireland

Abstract

Despite being the fastest growing demographic in the world, there is a paucity of research on the lives of single people. In a society structured for couples, the goal of this research study is to explore societal perceptions and the real-life experiences of single adults in their thirties, living in Ireland and give a voice to this overlooked minority. A qualitative study was carried out using semi-structured interviews conducted with four participants. A thematic analysis was used to examine the dataset that emerged from these in-depth interviews. Four overarching themes emerged from the data obtained: Perceptions, social comparison, pressure and how singles feel about their own singlehood.