Young People May Be the Loneliest of All
What a 55,000-person survey reveals about modern loneliness
Young people today seem more connected than ever to their peers. Compared to older generations, the under-25 crowd grew up with laptops, cellphones, dating apps, and social media. And yet, one of the largest international surveys on loneliness has found that young people ages 16 to 24 report being more lonely than all other age groups.
The new survey results included around 55,000 people from 237 countries. The researchers found that 40 percent of people ages 16 to 24 say they are often or very often lonely. People under age 24 also reported being consistently lonely and feeling loneliness more intensely compared to older people.
Only 29 percent of people between ages 65 and 74 and 26 percent of those over 75 reported regular loneliness.
The survey is part of a larger effort by the global public health community to understand the prevalence of loneliness and how it might affect health. Research has linked chronic loneliness to depressive symptoms and a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.
The survey was carried out by the University of Manchester, Brunel University London, and Exeter University, in partnership with the BBC. Roughly 60 percent of the respondents were based…
