Page Summary

Who is most likely to be lonely?

Young People and Loneliness

Data from the Office for National Statistics (2021) revealed that younger people aged between 16-29 years were most likely to say they were lonely often or always.

Young people might feel lonely for the following reasons:

• find it hard to make friends
• have moved schools and have to start somewhere new
• have been abused or bullied
• suffered a bereavement
• don’t get on with family or live in care
• have an illness or disability
• have an eating disorder or they feel depressed
• spent long periods apart from friends and family during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Older people and loneliness

Loneliness can be felt by people of all ages, but as we get older, risk factors that might lead to loneliness begin to increase and converge. Such risk factors include (but are not limited to):

• Being socially isolated or having no family or friends
• Being single, divorced or separated
• Living alone
• Being aged 75+
• Poor health
• Developing or living with a life-limiting illness or disability
• Living with a mental health condition
• Poor health
• Living on a low income- poverty
• Transitions in life that can contribute to loneliness
• Bereavement, becoming widowed
• Retirement
• Geographical relocation
• Living in a residential care home
• Becoming a carer
• Loss of mobility
• Sensory loss
• Giving up driving
• Wider Society
• Lack of public transport
• Physical environment (e.g.no public toilets or benches)
• Fear of crime
• High population turnover
• Digital exclusion

Gender and Loneliness

Loneliness can affect men and women in different ways, but there’s not conclusive evidence that any gender is more lonely than the other.

• According to the ONS, women reported feeling lonely more frequently than men. They were significantly more likely than men to report feeling lonely “often/always”, “some of the time” and “occasionally” and were much less likely than men to say they “never” felt lonely [2]
• While higher percentages of older women report loneliness compared to men, a greater number of older men (50+) report moderate to high levels of social isolation[3]
• 14% of older men experienced moderate to high social isolation compared to 11% of women₃

A qualitative study looked at men’s experiences of loneliness and singled out a list of qualities that men value in groups[4]. They were:

• Men valued groups that tried to increase social opportunities and interaction.
• Groups of mixed ages were strongly preferred by both heterosexual and gay men, as they did not want to be siloed in groups for ‘older people’. Mixed-generational groups that included younger adults were preferred.
• Men valued groups that facilitated emotional and social ties with other men.
• For straight men this was commonly associated with male companionship and the enjoyment of male banter and opportunities.
• For gay men this was often associated with a sense of belonging gained from being in the company of other gay men with similar life-experiences.

Loneliness and BAME people

Much of the data available about loneliness comes from a white British context. There is less information available about ways minority populations experience loneliness.

To help fill the gap, the British Red Cross produced research into loneliness in the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community (BAME) communities.[5] Three of its main findings include:

• Belonging to your community, that is by ‘feeling valued, included, safe and able to join in community activities’ helps people to feel less lonely. Their research showed that ‘sixty-seven per cent of all respondents who felt they did not belong in their community said they were always or often lonely, compared with just 16 per cent who felt they did belong.’
• The report claims that additional triggers of loneliness can include : racism, discrimination and xenophobia. It reported that ‘almost half of people (49 per cent) who had experienced discrimination at work or in their local neighbourhood reported being always or often lonely, compared with just over a quarter (28 per cent) of people who hadn’t.’
• People from BAME backgrounds also more frequently report feeling they are less able to access community activities and support.

Tackling loneliness in practice