As marriage equality has evolved over the last year we have become wildly aware of one overlooked group: The Single. It's official. The nuclear family has had a meltdown. In the last decade Single households have increased by 30% worldwide. By 2020 there will be 331 million single households globally. The US will lead with 36.3 million followed by Japan, 31.6 million, and China, 18.2 million. Singles come from every nationality, age demographic, religion, sexual orientation and gender. But they have one thing in common. Living uncomfortable and ignored in a married person’s world. In 2013, it’s changing on every level.
Chapter 11 - The Joy and Responsibility of Parenting v2Mercedes Gonzalez
This lesson will:
• Show the value of living in 3-generational families.
• Use published, peer-reviewed, sociological studies to demonstrate some of the significant and positive results of the intact married family structure.
• Point out that the primary responsibilities of the leaders of government, religion and culture are to prepare young people for family-building, i.e. for marriage and parenting.
Is social media redefining love? That’s the theme of our latest study. We know that social media has changed the way we live—and now, we’ve discovered, it’s changing the way we love. Euro RSCG Worldwide surveyed 1,000 respondents in the United States to explore how the digital world, specifically social media, has affected their lives in the areas of love and intimacy. In this white paper, we tackle new realities in love, like the questions of whether old-fashioned matchmaking will be a job of the past (about half of those we surveyed said they knew someone whose relationship had started online) and how old is too old to search for closeness online? Has social media affected fidelity? (Our poll says yes.) Which generation is most actively using online connections to find their love connections? And what do Facebook and the neighborhood bar have in common? Our groundbreaking survey reveals the answers to these questions and more.
Our team of Trend Strategists forecast many of the shifts that played out in the Election. See what we said last year, and what we're predicting for 2017
Our Futurists, Marc Kozlow and Megan Routh, immersed themselves in Austin, looking through the lenses of our 17 proprietary Trends. here's where they saw the future leaking into the present
From mass shootings to rise of ISIS, 2015 was a year of anxiety, fear and stress. What lies ahead in 2016?
Faith Popcorn reveals a shocking vision of Tomorrow in which consumers seek new ways to escape the chaos swirling around them.
Find out how we’ll cope, commune and create joy as a mega-challenging year unfolds.
Melbourne International Student Conference 2016: The New Work Order Meld Magazine Inc.
A report from The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) has revealed young people will be the hardest hit under a new future of work, as the economy and labour market undergo significant changes over the coming decades.
Chapter 11 - The Joy and Responsibility of Parenting v2Mercedes Gonzalez
This lesson will:
• Show the value of living in 3-generational families.
• Use published, peer-reviewed, sociological studies to demonstrate some of the significant and positive results of the intact married family structure.
• Point out that the primary responsibilities of the leaders of government, religion and culture are to prepare young people for family-building, i.e. for marriage and parenting.
Is social media redefining love? That’s the theme of our latest study. We know that social media has changed the way we live—and now, we’ve discovered, it’s changing the way we love. Euro RSCG Worldwide surveyed 1,000 respondents in the United States to explore how the digital world, specifically social media, has affected their lives in the areas of love and intimacy. In this white paper, we tackle new realities in love, like the questions of whether old-fashioned matchmaking will be a job of the past (about half of those we surveyed said they knew someone whose relationship had started online) and how old is too old to search for closeness online? Has social media affected fidelity? (Our poll says yes.) Which generation is most actively using online connections to find their love connections? And what do Facebook and the neighborhood bar have in common? Our groundbreaking survey reveals the answers to these questions and more.
Our team of Trend Strategists forecast many of the shifts that played out in the Election. See what we said last year, and what we're predicting for 2017
Our Futurists, Marc Kozlow and Megan Routh, immersed themselves in Austin, looking through the lenses of our 17 proprietary Trends. here's where they saw the future leaking into the present
From mass shootings to rise of ISIS, 2015 was a year of anxiety, fear and stress. What lies ahead in 2016?
Faith Popcorn reveals a shocking vision of Tomorrow in which consumers seek new ways to escape the chaos swirling around them.
Find out how we’ll cope, commune and create joy as a mega-challenging year unfolds.
Melbourne International Student Conference 2016: The New Work Order Meld Magazine Inc.
A report from The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) has revealed young people will be the hardest hit under a new future of work, as the economy and labour market undergo significant changes over the coming decades.
An educational presentation that explores how technology is changing the way people work together. Learn more at http://www.odesk.com/.
A video version can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Yt4wxSblc
A Millennial’s Guide to Homeownership | KM Realty Group Chicago, ILTammy Jackson
This is a content-packed guide that offers powerful marketing materials to share with your clients, while also helping you simply and effectively explain the market’s current homeownership opportunities to a booming demographic that often finds itself stuck in the rental trap.
✔️ We Make Real Estate Buying and Selling Easy.
✔️ https://kmrealtygroup.net/
✔️ Let's connect with a real estate professional to discuss your home buying or selling process. ✔️ https://bit.ly/connect-km-realty
A Millennial’s Guide to Homeownership
This is a content-packed guide that offers powerful marketing materials to share with your clients, while also helping you simply and effectively explain the market’s current homeownership opportunities to a booming demographic that often finds itself stuck in the rental trap. Learn More
Welcome to our FringeStream series, our monthly magazine exploring how the fringes of culture are shaping mass behaviors. What happens when fragmentation, diversity and the choice to live differently becomes the new normal?
This month we explore Fallout Families, which challenges us to think about family structures differently and brings to life what new family norms look like, moving beyond the traditional - and increasingly outdated - model of the nuclear family.
What will happen if you are sick in 2028? Futurist Faith Popcorn paints a vision of what the future of healthcare may look like.
As presented at The Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything Festival
In this provocative speech, renowned futurist Faith Popcorn, CEO of Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve, illuminates how our culture and the consumer marketplace are evolving – and how you can thrive in this rapidly changing landscape.
She will share these emerging Trends:
N of 1: Ultra-Personalization, and how a new vocabulary and toolkit is needed for marketers to survive
Gender Wars: How EVEolution, the End of Masculinity and Gender Fluidity Emerging will require marketers to work with new sensitivity and daring.
The Robo-Revolution: With AI replacing 40% of jobs and the Gig Economy on the upswing, a new kind of consumer arrives, with unprecedented need states. Will you be ready to serve her?
Brace yourself for a shocking and engaging look at where your brand, business and daily life is headed – and how to achieve your Best Future.
Here’s a recap of our Trendspotters’ 10 favorite finds of the past year that reflect emerging cultural currents.
Stops include: Ad Age Next, Line Friends Store, Impossible Burger, and more.
Faith Popcorn's BrainReserve released new research on Augmented Humanity and the shift towards commercial-grade tech that will expand our physical and mental capabilities as never before.
At Faith Popcorn's BrainReserve, we’re thinking a lot about thinking.
Specifically, the power of our brains.
Now more than ever, we’re unlocking the power of our minds, augmenting and accelerating our capabilities.
From memory to mood, sleep hacking to sensory experience, our brains are transforming to keep pace and fly into Tomorrow.
Get ready, now is the era of The Re-engineered Brain.
1. T H E R I S E O F T H E S O L O C I T I Z E N 2013
A FAITH POPCORN PREDICTION WWW.FAITHPOPCORN.COM
2. T H E R I S E O F T H E S O L O C I T I Z E N 2013
A FAITH POPCORN PREDICTION WWW.FAITHPOPCORN.COM
SOLOHOMES
SINGLE HOUSEHOLDS RISE
householdofone
331 MILLION SOLO HOMES BY 2020
B Y 3 0 % O V E R PA S T D E C A D E • 36.3 MIL IN U.S.
• 3 1 . 6 M I L I N J A PA N
singleSENIORS • 18.2 MIL IN CHINA
MELTDOWN
17 65+
AGE
MIL
T H E N U C L E A R FA M I LY I S N O M O R E
SHAREDBOND
SINGLES OUTNUMBERED
B Y A C O U P L E D C U LT U R E
EMBRACING
SINGLE-SEX
SOCIAL
CLUBS...
...AWAY FROM
UNWANTED
MALE SINGLE
ATTENTION. IS THE
NEW
W W W. FA I T H P O P C O R N . C O M
BLACK
3. INTRODUCTION
As marriage equality has evolved over the last year we have become wildly aware of
one overlooked group: The Single. It's official. The nuclear family has had a meltdown.
In the last decade Single households have increased by 30% worldwide. By 2020 there
will be 331 million single households globally. The US will lead with 36.3 million followed
by Japan, 31.6 million, and China, 18.2 million. Singles come from every nationality, age
demographic, religion, sexual orientation and gender. But they have one thing in
common. Living uncomfortable and ignored in a married person’s world. In 2013, it’s
changing on every level.
1 STANDARD
2 TREND
3 FAMILY
4 WOMEN
5 LIFESPAN
4. STANDARD
Singledom is creating the new aspiration.
New single role models will emerge to set
the social standard. In the future even the
President will be single.
In 1970 a person who wanted to
remain single their whole life was
considered “sick” by 80% of the pop-
ulation. As 50% of all marriages end in
divorce, is it crazy to be single or
insane to be married? Singles will no
longer be considered less than their
married counterparts. Soon, tradition-
al marriage won’t be considered the
ideal or even the norm.
Major sociological and cultural changes have made
remaining single a viable preference:
• Crumbling Gender Barriers
Growing wage equality and female dominated growth
industries are ending women’s dependence on marriage.
• Current Tax Laws
England’s “couple penalty” actually make being married
more expensive than being single. Many couples will get
tax divorces, ending their marriage on paper while their
relationship continues unchanged.
• Democratization of Education
The advent of distance learning allows us to choose and
change regularly who we want to become, who we want
to be with and what direction we’ll go over and over
throughout our lifetime.
5. TREND
Single is the new black.
Single culture will define
the mainstream trends
of tomorrow.
In much the same way that gay culture
inspires mainstream Trends, Singles are
becoming the new leading edge. They are
cultivators of taste and spending on art, new
cuisine, hobbies and theater. Without the
responsibilities and financial commitments of
marriage, Singles are able to indulge in more
luxury purchases without having to justify or
feel guilty about their splurges and whims.
Singles spend 33% more on themselves than
their married friends with children, accounting
for 1.5 trillion dollars annually. Smart marketers
will look to attract Singles in order to find a
place into the general zeitgeist.
Why go after the Single Consumer?
• Celebration
Single status is being celebrated in the culture. In
2012 China created “Singles Day” to honor its growing
solo population, including parties, karaoke and
massive online discounts which drove sales to record
levels.
• Technology
Singles own more smartphones (49%) than married
people (43%) and utilize more leading edge apps and
programs, like location based tracking and ambient
discovery.
• Dating
Singles are participating in a 24/7 dating ritual in
restaurants, clubs, and both men and women are
heavy consumers of beauty products.
6. 3
family
Children of single
parent families will be
better prepared for
the Future.
Preliminary studies indicate that they are
more adept at handling conflict,
responsibility, disappointment and have a
clearer sense of life priorities than two-parent
children. Their participation in their own
upbringing helps them become more of a
partner with their parent and depend more
on their extended community.
In many ways singles make better
parents than their married friends.
Single homes, free of the stress that
weighs upon many marriages, provide
a more ideal environment for a child.
How will single parenting change the child-rearing
landscape?
• Co-op parenting
Single parents are coming together, whether through
informal networks or communal living arrangements,
providing a trusted organic support system.
• Outsourcing
Singles will give over parenting tasks to aids that
transcend the traditional roles of tutors and nannies. A
new industry will be birthed wherein highly educated
child care professionals serve as life coaches,
personal assistants and paid-godparents.
• Single Motherhood
53% of all children born to women under 30 are born
to single mothers. This number will increase as more
research proves the benefits of Single-parent
households.
7. 4
WOMEN
Single Women will become
the new bachelors, avoiding
long term committed
relationships.
Men and women will adapt to The Single-arity
differently. For women, being single will be easier,
and more beneficial than it is for men simply
because women are better self-nurturers and thus
better able to care for themselves.
The number of single women exploded in the last
three decades. In 1979 only 18% of women under
50 were unmarried. Today 51% find themselves
single and happy to be so.
Their mounting power in society (that we detailed
in last year’s prediction, The SHE-Change) will
make it difficult to find men of equal stature. The
growing number of single-sex social clubs like
Grace Belgravia, where women can share informa-
tion, frustrations, make business and social con-
tacts all away from unwanted male attention are an
indicator of the new female independence.
Single women will continue to grow in power and
influence.
• Voting Power
Barack Obama has always been a favorite amongst
female voters, but in the 2012 election, it was the
unmarried women who cinched his victory, many of
them Hispanic.
• Finances
Single women are out earning men, buying more
homes and outperforming them in the stock market.
Even Warren Buffet is said to invest like a woman by
his fiscally monogamous style.
• Education
By 2016, women are projected to earn 64% of associ-
ates degrees, 60% of bachelor’s degrees, 63% of
master’s degrees, and 56% of doctorates. The propor-
tion of women in law school increased from 3.7% in
1963 to 44% in the academic year 2007– 2008.
8. 5
lifespan
“Till death do you
part” is unrealistic in a
world where people
live past 100.
There are 17 million single Americans over
the age of 65. The unmarried Boomer popu-
lation has grown by 50% since 1980. The
divorce rate among Baby Boomers has
doubled in the last 20 years. 82% of
divorced women 60+ have no desire to get
married again.
As we live longer and the number of
life stages people experience increas-
es, marriages will have an expiration
date with an option to renew. People
will have several of these marriages
throughout a lifetime, with long
stretches of being single in between.
Marriage will no longer be able to keep up with life:
• Divorce Redefined
Newly single Boomers are redefining divorce, turning
dysfunctional marriages into convenient cohabitation
arrangements, mutually beneficial financial relationships,
and deep friendships maintaining family bonds.
• Fertility
New breakthroughs in fertility medicine will make having
babies at seventy a safe and ordinary practice. Premium
sperm and eggs will be so plentiful that Singles will be
able to pick them up at Spermbucks or bid for specialty
samples on Egg-Bay.com.
• Partners
People will no longer seek a life-partner, but instead will
have “lives-partners”; someone to live with, someone to
have children with, someone to vacation with and
someone to have sex with in tandem.
9. singles
Singles will disrupt every facet of our culture
Government and religious organizations will need to adapt to Singles’
relationships, living situations and lifestyles. Look for churches to ritual-
ize different types of relationships beyond marriage. Unfair legislation
that doesn’t treat Singles as equal citizens will be overturned. Powerful
forces in government will fight for the equality of Singles; economically,
politically and socially.
Singles will also be the first to engage in relationships with artificial
intelligence. As behavioral technology and robotics advance,
programs and androids of every shape and size will begin to fulfill the
roles traditionally handled by a spouse, a friend or date. There is
much money and energy being invested in the development of the
first life like sex robot. Think a three dimensional holographic Siri with
a “Christian Grey” persona. More importantly, through technology,
our robotic partners will be able to think, feel and love us back.
The rise of the Single will have a mega impact on Brands and prod-
ucts. Brands will feel the weight of the Single revolution. To
win, it’s message, product size, and retail experience
will have to be reinvented. Japanese appliance
brands are redesigning household products for
smaller living spaces. In Korea restaurants
have started providing solo diners their
own spaces complete with iPods for a
more private experience, while Le
Pain Quotidien’s signature communal
table is always full of mingling
Singles.
Many brands today still see themselves
as “Family Brands”, a dangerous posi-
tion when “Single Brands” will dominate
the consumer landscape.
Single-Arity is the Next Big Thing (NBT)
locally and globally. Marketing, religion,
technology, education, transportation, gov-
ernment will all need to change or face extinc-
tion. The rise of the solo citizen will redefine the
human experience. Welcome or unwelcome, The
Single-arity is here for good, or bad.
Write to me at Faith@Faithpopcorn.com and
share your thoughts and what you've observed.
I'm single, are you? Best Future, Faith