What is Causing Our Epidemic of Loneliness and How Can We Fix It?

U.S. surgeon general Vivek Murthy placed a spotlight on America’s problem with loneliness when he declared the issue an epidemic last year. Murthy explained, in a letter that introduced an urgent advisory, that loneliness is far more than “just a bad feeling” and represents a major public health risk for both individuals and society. Murthy also pointed out that, although many people grew lonelier during the COVID-19 pandemic, about half of American adults had already reported experiences of loneliness even before the outbreak. 

Over the past four years, researchers with Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Making Caring Common (MCC) project have been investigating the underlying causes of loneliness and in May they conducted a national survey with the company YouGov to find out what Americans had to say about the problem as well as the types of solutions they supported.

Here are some of the findings from the survey which are explained in MCC’s new report, Loneliness in America: Just the Tip of the Iceberg, authored by Milena Batanova, Richard Weissbourd, and Joseph McIntyre.

Who is lonely? 

Twenty-one percent of adults in the survey reported that they had serious feelings of loneliness.

Age (Hint: it is not what you might expect.) 

• People between 30-44 years of age were the loneliest group — 29% of people in this age range said they were “frequently” or “always” lonely
• Among 18–29-year-olds — the rate was 24%
• For 45–64-year-olds, the rate was 20%
• Adults aged 65 and older reported the lowest rate: 10% felt lonely

Racial and gender identity

There were no real gender differences found — men and women experienced similar rates of loneliness — nor were there major differences based on political ideology or race or ethnicity. However, adults with more than one racial identity had much higher levels of loneliness: 42% in this category reported they were lonely. 

Income and education 

There were notable differences between income but not education levels. Americans earning less than $30,000 a year were the loneliest — 29% in this category reported feeling lonely, while 19% of Americans earning between $50,000-100,000, and 18% of those making more than $100,000 a year said they were lonely. 

What does it feel like to be lonely?

In the surgeon general’s advisory, loneliness is described as a state of mind: “a subjective distressing experience that results from perceived isolation or inadequate meaningful connections, where inadequate refers to the discrepancy or unmet need between an individual’s preferred and actual experience.” 

The MCC report helps to further explain why social isolation is not the same as loneliness. For example, one person in the survey who experienced loneliness described having plenty of family members around but not feeling appreciated by them. Another person said they were “surrounded” by other people “who only are present in my life because [I] am useful” to them. 

In their findings, the researchers also note what they describe as “existential loneliness,” or a “fundamental sense of disconnection from others or the world.” Of those who were lonely, for example, 65% said they felt “fundamentally separate or disconnected from others or the world,” and 57% said they were unable to share their true selves with others. 

What is the relationship between mental health challenges and loneliness?

The MCC researchers found a strong correlation between loneliness and mental health concerns. In the report, 81% of adults who were lonely also said they suffered with anxiety or depression compared to 29% of those who were less lonely. They also noted a complex interaction between troubled feelings, where loneliness, anxiety, and depression all feed into each other. 

What are some of the leading causes of loneliness in America, according to all who were surveyed? 

• Technology — 73% of those surveyed selected technology as contributing to loneliness in the country
• Insufficient time with family — 66% chose this issue as a reason for loneliness in America
• People are overworked or too busy or tired —  62% surveyed picked this concern
• Mental health challenges that harm relationships with others —  60% of people rated this as a significant problem
• Living in a society that is too individualistic —  58% named this as a cause of America’s loneliness problem
• No religious or spiritual life, too much focus on one’s own feelings, and the changing nature of work — with more remote and hybrid schedules —   were perceived causes of loneliness selected by around 50% of people who participated in the survey

What remedies do Americans propose to tackle loneliness?

At least three-quarters of people who were surveyed highlighted these solutions to loneliness: 

• Reach out to family or friends
• Learn to love myself
• Learn to be more forgiving of others
• Find ways to help others

Other potential solutions? 

Among their own recommendations, the MCC researchers stress the need to promote a culture that cares and serves others. “Collective service can provide important connections that relieve loneliness,” they state, as well as “cultivate meaning and purpose and mitigate mental health challenges.”  They also urge public and private leaders to build up social infrastructure in order to help people develop meaningful relationships with others. Three-quarters of those surveyed said they wanted “more activities and fun community events,” where they live and “public spaces that are more accessible and connection-focused like green spaces and playgrounds.”