If you spend large parts of the day by yourself, you are - ironically - not alone. Figures published on Thursday from Statistics Finland’s Time Use Survey show that the amount of time Finns are spending on their own has increased over the past ten years, to around seven waking hours every day.
It's a growing phenomenon among all age groups and both sexes - but it is women aged over 65 who spend the most time by themselves - which was defined as being on your own at home, outside, or in your room while other family members are at home. Meanwhile the survey defined being together as being close by to someone else, but not necessarily doing something together.
“One sure reason for the trend is the increase in time spent online,” says researcher Riitta Hanifi.
The study found that parents are now spending less time with their children than a decade ago, with the average length of time having gone down from six hours per day to five and a half. The largest decrease was the amount of time mothers are spending in the company of their under 10-year-old children.
Statistics Finland compared data collected in 1999-2000 with the years 2009-10. Respondents to the survey were asked to keep a diary of how they used their time.
