Family trends. Everyday life

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In Britain, families are getting smaller. The average family today has only 2 children. More than a quarter of homes have only one person in them. Many of these are older people. People expect to live longer nowadays. In 2008, there will be more old people than children. About 20% of British teenagers leave home between the ages of 16 and 20. Many of them are students who go to a university away from their hometowns. However, more than 40% of men and 25% of women between the ages of 20 and 34 still live at home with their mothers and fathers. The average age for first marriages is 26 for men and 24 for women. In Britain, 67% of people own their own homes. Many of these are houses with small gardens, although living in flats is common in big cities. People have many more consumer products, such as videos, than they used to. Most families have got a car. Most families have a telephone and most have at least one television. Eighty per cent of teenagers have a television in their bedroom. However, the most popular free-time activity is not watching television; it is visiting friends and relatives. Another popular family activity is going out for a meal. British teenagers have less free time than students in Europe because the school day does not finish until 3 or 4 o'clock. Most 15-year-olds go to bed before 11 p.m. When they go out in the evenings, their parents usually expect them to be home by midnight. Half the households in Britain have a pet. Cats, dogs and fish are the most common pets. There are about eight million cats in Britain. In Britain, 14% of homes have only one person in them. Many of these are older people.

The average British family has more than one child

Many old people in Britain live alone.