• Relationships Australia

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20 July 2011The overall objective of this research was to provide a statistically sound representative sample of feelings, attitudes and opinions about relationships within the Australian population.

The research focussed on a number of key areas, including:

- Connection with significant people in our lives;
- Partnering and marriage;
- Sexual relationships;
- Finances and their impact on partner relationships;
- Social networking and relationships;
- Community involvement;
- Loneliness; and
- Accessing help.

The results were compared with data collected in the 2008 Relationships Indicators Survey. This report highlights where there were statistically significant changes in responses or where new trends emerged.

This report has an additional section on loneliness – one of the significant trends identified in the results. An interesting correlation between use of social networking technology and loneliness became apparent, with those frequently feeling lonely more likely to use social networking, and in particular Facebook, than those who do not experience feelings of loneliness. Likewise, a proportion of those who frequently felt lonely met their partners online, compared with none of those never feeling lonely having met their partners online. Links between age and feelings of loneliness were also identified.

There were explorations of how people met their partners and challenges in finding partners. In most age groups, the main challenge was in meeting enough people. One trend emerging is the proportion of people in the younger age groups finding partners online, with 13% of those aged between 25 and 34 meeting their partners through that medium. A comparison with the next Relationships Indicators Survey may reveal an increasing trend in this respect.

The reasons for relationship break-downs were surveyed, with financial stress, communication difficulties, different expectations and values, and lack of trust being the four main reasons given. The magnitude of some of these responses differed from the 2008 findings.