Australia's "Sex and the City" singles unhappy: study

By Rob Taylor

CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) - They are cashed-up and child-free, but Australia's ranks of "Sex and the City" working singles are among the least satisfied in the country, according to a government study.

A partner and happy home were now seen as more important than a successful career while single, the study, which profiled Australia's 21 million population, has found.

Only marginalized Australians, struggling to find food and a roof, were less satisfied, it added.

"Working Age Singles reported roughly average levels of feeling rushed or pressed for time, and also of having too much spare time, and low to middling levels of life satisfaction," the Family Department study said.

At average age 33, "Working Age Singles" were the youngest of the five major population groupings, the study said.

Most were healthy and high-income renters, with low reliance on welfare and a quarter having completed a university degree.

But singles were less content than almost all other groups including socially connected retirees and time-pressured and stressed couples with children.

Singles were more likely to smoke, consume alcohol, spend big and avoid repayments on their credit cards, the study said. They were also more in touch with friends and family.