Loneliness Across Generations: Surprising Findings from Large-Scale Surveys
Most people, if asked to guess which generation reports the highest levels of loneliness in a large-scale national survey, would likely point to the oldest. This intuition seems reasonable. Older adults have, on average, lost more loved ones, are more prone to living alone, and have often retired from careers that provided daily structure and social interaction. Many have grown children who live far away, and the common cultural image of loneliness often features someone in their seventies or eighties sitting quietly in a once-bustling home now empty.
However, the largest published survey of loneliness in the United States tells a different story. Contrary to popular belief, the youngest generation reports the highest levels of loneliness, and the difference is notable.
Understanding the Measurement of Loneliness
According to the 2018 Cigna U.S. Loneliness Index, which surveyed 20,096 American adults online between February 21 and March 6, 2018, loneliness was measured using the UCLA Loneliness Scale. This twenty-item scale, developed at the University of California, Los Angeles, produces a score ranging from 20 (least lonely) to 80 (most lonely).
The survey revealed that nearly half of respondents sometimes or always felt alone or left out, and about a quarter rarely or never felt truly understood by those around them. Researchers set a loneliness threshold at a score of 43; in 2018, 46% of participants scored above this cutoff — a significant proportion even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Breaking down scores by generation, the results were striking:
- The Greatest Generation (72 and older) averaged 38.6 — below the loneliness threshold.
- Baby Boomers (52 to 71) scored 42.4 — just below the threshold.
- Generation X (38 to 51) averaged 45.1 — above the threshold.
- Millennials (23 to 37) scored 45.3 — also above the threshold.
- Generation Z (18 to 22) scored 48.3 — well above the threshold and roughly ten points higher than their grandparents’ generation.
This pattern persisted even after controlling for variables such as gender, race, and income. Interestingly, over half of Gen Z respondents identified with ten out of eleven feelings associated with loneliness on the UCLA scale. For example, 69% said they felt surrounded by people but not truly connected, and similar numbers reported feelings of shyness and being misunderstood.
One commonly assumed explanation — social media use — was not supported by the data. Heavy social media users scored on average 43.5, while those who never used social media scored 41.7, a difference too small to be meaningful.
Loneliness Trends Since 2018
The 2018 findings initially generated media attention but then faded from the public conversation. Subsequent data, however, have confirmed and intensified these patterns.
The 2023 Vitality in America update by Cigna shows that loneliness in the United States rose from 46% in 2018 to 58% in 2023, with the COVID-19 pandemic years included. The generational hierarchy remained consistent:
- Gen Z (now aged 18 to 26) reported a 71% loneliness rate — the highest across all groups.
- Millennials followed at 65%.
- Generation X at 59%.
- Baby Boomers, despite experiencing significant pandemic-related isolation, stood at 44%.
- The Greatest Generation remained the least lonely group.
This enduring pattern across a period of profound social disruption suggests the findings are robust and unlikely to be temporary anomalies.
What Explains This Unexpected Pattern?
The Cigna surveys provide reliable measurement but do not offer definitive explanations. Various hypotheses have emerged among researchers:
- The developmental stage of Gen Z during the pandemic — years critical for schooling and early independence — may have been uniquely disrupted.
- Economic challenges, including high housing costs, delayed household formation, and precarious employment, could be limiting ordinary social contact for younger adults.
- The shift from in-person interaction to digital communication may not effectively substitute the types of social connection that mitigate loneliness, even though social media use itself does not directly correlate with loneliness scores.
Despite these theories, the exact causes remain uncertain. What is clear is that the stereotypical image of loneliness — an elderly person isolated in a quiet home — does not match the survey data. Instead, the loneliest individuals in the United States are more likely to be young adults in their twenties, living with roommates, working, and experiencing intense feelings of isolation not observed to the same extent in previous generations.
This reality presents a quietly uncomfortable paradox: the generation with unprecedented access to digital communication tools, often assumed to be “over-connected,” is simultaneously the loneliest. This juxtaposition suggests that the specific social and cultural environment of modern young adults is producing unforeseen challenges in combating loneliness.
Kiran Athar is not a psychologist or a social scientist. She writes about mental health, culture, and the ordinary corners of life where the two intersect, drawing on peer-reviewed research and primary-source scholarship. If loneliness is affecting you or someone you care about, help is available in most countries through national mental health services.
Read more about this study and its findings here.
