With the exception of home computers and access to the internet from home single person households were less likely than larger households to have any consumer durable listed. Pooled resources, and the increased chance of any one member of the household possessing a listed item in larger households, may go some way to explain the difference between these household types. In general terms, older households were less likely to have ‘new technology’ consumer durables such as computers, internet access and mobile phones.

Some of the differences between single person and other households were:

• 76% of older and 83% of younger single person households had a washing machine compared with between 96% and 99% of other households;
• 71% of older and 79% of younger single person households had a microwave oven compared with between 85% and 93% of all other households;

• 33% of older and 38% of younger single person households owned a tumble drier compared with at least half of all other households. The households most likely to own a tumble drier were large families (74%).

Differences between older and younger households were:

• households with adults aged 60 or over were the least likely to have a home computer with 30% of older two person households and 8% of older single person households having a home computer. Large family households (73%), large adult households (73%), and small family households (68%) were the most likely to have a home computer;

• 5% of single person households aged 60 or over had access to the internet at home as had 22% of two adult households with at least one person aged 60 or over. This compares with over half of family households, large adult households and two person households aged under 60;

• older households were the least likely to have a mobile phone (22% of older single person and 53% of older two person households compared with 72% of single person households aged under 60 and 86 to 89% of all other households);

• single person households and older two person households were less likely than other households to have satellite, cable or digital TV. For example, 16% of older single person households had satellite, cable or digital TV compared with 59% of large adult households.