关键词: 青壮年, 独居, 婚姻行为, 人口流动, 因素分解

Abstract: In the context of rising prevalence of living alone among young adults, this study uses one-per-thousand sample data from the 2000, 2010, and 2020 population censuses to examine trends and determinants of living alone among young adults aged from 20 to 49 in China over the past two decades. Decomposition methods are employed to assess the contributions of marriage behavior, population mobility, and solo living feasibility to the period trends and disparities by gender and place of residence. Results indicate that improved solo living feasibility and population mobility were the dominant drivers of the rising prevalence of living alone among young adults. Gender differences in solo living feasibility and marriage behaviors explain higher prevalence of living alone among men than among women, while enhanced mobility primarily accounts for higher prevalence of living alone in urban areas than in rural areas. Across the life course, mobility and delayed marriage drive rising prevalence of living alone during early adulthood, whereas solo living feasibility dominates in middle adulthood. Family-related social policies must address future trends and the heterogeneous trajectories of living alone.

Keywords: Young Adults, Solo Living, Marriage Behavior, Internal Migration, Decomposition Method