The Loneliness Epidemic – Facts & Figures
Today we are seeing a loneliness epidemic among young adults, a crisis with a range of far-reaching health and economic implications. Below are a few of the key facts and figures about the scale of the problem and what we are doing to address loneliness amongst young adults.
In 2019, YouGov found that 30 per cent of millennials “always” or “often” felt lonely, while nearly one in four couldn’t name a single friend.
Whereas, in 2018 the BBC Loneliness Experiment back demonstrated that young people are disproportionately affected by loneliness compared to older age groups.
In fact, ONS statistics from May 2023 showed that those aged 16-29 are over twice as likely to struggle with social isolation than those over 70.
Regrettably, in recent years, these issues have been exacerbated further by the rise of remote working and the social distancing measures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Loneliness Epidemic
Today, nearly 60 percent of young people report experiencing loneliness as part of their daily lives and in March 2023, Google published a report highlighting that queries from individuals struggling with loneliness were reaching an all-time high.
Meanwhile, in May 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness to be at epidemic levels and that it should be treated as the next major health issue and given the same urgency as substance abuse or tobacco addiction.
These issues are particularly pronounced in major cities like London, which was recently named the loneliest city in the UK.
About Loneliness
Health & Economic Implications
- It has been estimated that loneliness costs UK employers £2.5 billion a year, due to its impact on employee sickness, caring activity, productivity, and voluntary staff turnover.
- 62% of lonely young adults say that ‘feeling lonely makes them ‘lose confidence in themselves’.
- 48% of lonely young adults say that feeling lonely makes them ‘less likely to want to progress in work’.
- A 50% increased risk of Dementia.
- A 26% increased risk of Premature Death.
- A 29% increased risk of Heart Disease.
- A 32% increased risk of Stroke.
- Loneliness is associated with poorer sleep quality, acute stress responses, increased risk of high blood pressure and reduced immunity against infections.
This is a source of great concern as loneliness has been shown to have hugely damaging impact on one’s mental health and is associated with higher rates of depression, suicide, anxiety and other serious mental health issues.
We also know now that loneliness has wide-reaching health implications, that are now understood to be comparable to 15 cigarettes per day and is said to be worse for your heart than a lack of exercise.
And so we set the project up back in 2021 to combat this epidemic of loneliness among young adults through the provision of community initiatives, online spaces, and free or low-cost social events such as board game nights, social walks, and day trips.
Since 2021, we’ve helped create thousands of friendships and we now have over 35,000 members across London.
In addition, we provide online “clubs” or community chats to connect our members based on similar interests, empowering young people to organise their own activities and hangouts to expand their friendship circles outside of events.
The Great Friendship Project 