Carl Weisman, a 49-year-old Australian, conducted a survey of 1,533 heterosexual men for his new book So Why Have You Never Been Married? Ten Insights into Why He Hasn't Wed.

The book is intended to explain to women why so many successful men opt to stay single -- and also to make lifelong bachelors realise that they are not unique in being so selective.

"Men are 10 times more scared of marrying the wrong person than of never getting married at all," said Weisman.

"This is the first generation of people who have grown up with bad divorces."

"People assume there is something wrong if you don't marry but these are men who have made a different choice and not given in to social pressures."

"It's so important to these men to get it right."

Weisman's online survey found that around 8 percent never want to marry while 62 percent plan to wed -- but half of them won't settle for anything less than perfection.

The remaining 30 percent are undecided either way.

72 percent of respondents said they were unafraid of marriage itself, but half of them said that marrying the wrong person was their greatest fear.

"My best advice to single women after bachelors is to be patient," said Weisman.

"If you're in a hurry to get married you'll be frustrated."

Weisman found that money was an important factor, whether you had a little or a lot.

"Those with little money said they would have nothing to offer a partner, with some suffering self-esteem issues and withdrawing from the dating pool," he said.

"While those who are financially sound were terrified what a bad divorce could do to them."

Although it is commonly assumed that the single are more miserable than the married, Weisman's research defied such preconceptions.

"A compelling issue was how many of them had found contentment in a never-married life," he said.

"They had created lives full of careers, friends and ambitions."

"It was not like they walk around all day worried about not being married."

Ironically, working on the book made him look at his own life in greater depth -- Weisman moved in with a girlfriend for the first time ever and they are now contemplating marriage.

"As I researched the book I found I was looking at men 10 years older than me and it was like looking into the future," he said.

"If I didn't change, nothing would."