The National Study of the Older Never-Married Adults (NSONMA) - The older (aged 50 or above) never-married (ONM) population has been growing rapidly and comprises individuals who vary in age, sex, educational background, economic status, and reasons for being single. Its growth poses pressing and complex challenges for aging, age-related diseases, health care, and long-term care. However, this population remains severely understudied. Their health remains a contested issue, with social networks central to the discussion. Two conceptual models (deficits versus resilience) have competing predictions. Although many studies document ONM adults’ health and network disadvantages, they often overlook key factors such as age, sex, educational background, economic status, and reasons for being single. The features and impacts of social networks within ONM adults are complex and require rigorous investigation. The little research on ONM adults is largely due to data limitations. Population-based surveys of older adults have small never-married sample sizes and/or limited measurement of social networks and single life, leading to incomplete network mapping, insufficient network theory testing, underpowered analyses, and a lack of attention to these key factors among ONM adults. To address these critical gaps, we propose a pilot study to demonstrate the feasibility of conducting nationally representative surveys on ONM adults. In partnership with Gallup, we will collect the first-ever nationally representative pilot survey data on ONM adults, focusing on the role of social networks in the etiology of health risk behaviors and health and the intra- and interpersonal mechanisms underlying the role of social networks, with attention to these key factors.
