It’s National Singles Week!

by jill ~ September 22, 2008

Never heard of National Singles Week?  Well, it was started in the 1980s by the Buckeye Singles Council in Ohio and is observed annually during the third full week of September.  Celebrating singles for their achievements and contributions to society, National Singles Week puts the spotlight on singles and other unmarried Americans who are parents, have partners or are widowed.

From September 21 - 27, 2008 the world will fete the single man and woman.  As part of the week, SingleEdition Founder Sherri Langburt has unveiled her top 5 trends for singles (all listed below).  If you aren’t familiar with SingleEdition, it’s a new lifestyle company that delivers programming, content and tools exclusively for singles.

According to the 2000 Census, there are 95 million single adults in the United States and almost 15% of them are over the age of 65, while 12.2 million of them are parents. According to Sherri Langburt, an election year is a particularly important time to pay attention to this growing demographic.

“One third of all Americans are single today and candidates and voters alike need to dispel the notion that single voters don’t matter or don’t care,” said Langburt.  “Singles are also homeowners, parents, grandparents and a large segment of the workforce in the United States.  Singles are not “anti-family” but instead make up the face of “the new family” with the ever-changing demographics of the United States.”

These are SingleEdition’s Top 5 Trends for Singles Today:

1.      Single By Choice: From swing-voters to celebrities, the message from single-minded will continue to gain momentum as unmarried individuals embrace new ways of living and don’t necessarily figure “marriage” into their plans.  Especially for men, choosing bachelorhood has never been more popular.

2. Happily Ever Now: Successful and savvy singletons no longer wait for “the one” to make financial investments and luxury purchases. With an annual spending of more than $1.6 trillion, singles will continue to place their interests in real estate, travel and luxury markets.

3. Madison Avenue Targeting Singles. Sherri can tell you why marketers are seeing this demographic as so desirable - and how this demographic will also be chased more in the future.

4. Will You Marry Me for Health Insurance? How singles are sometimes forced to marry for health insurance and tax benefits.

5. Not-Just 20-Somethings: While depictions of singles tend to focus on the under-30 set, more than 42% of singles are between the ages of 35-54, which include single parents and grandparents. While singles are still more likely to frequent bars and restaurants, many unmarried people need help when it comes to other facets of their single life. SingleEdition offers information on dating after divorce, entertaining tips for when there’s only one cook in the kitchen, single-serve recipes, solo home improvement guides and more.

About SingleEdition.com: SingleEdition.com is a lifestyle destination that embraces the culture of single living - and targets singles who know there’s life beyond dating.  For more information, please visit: http://www.singleedition.com/ or contact Jill Feldman at jill@mediashoppr.com.

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