Is loneliness ageless? Mapping the prevalence of loneliness across adulthood

Abstract Background Loneliness is considered as an important public health issue. But although research has established that adults of all ages are confronted with feelings of loneliness, research about the relationship between loneliness and age remains ambiguous. Therefore, we investigate the distribution of distinct loneliness types (emotional, social, existential and collective) according to age, and the sociodemographic factors that explain those age-related loneliness differences. Methods We perform descriptive and multivariate regression analyses (p < 0,05) with loneliness as an outcome, based on cross-sectional data of the nationally representative “A Lonely Planet” survey, which was conducted in 2024 among 3756 adults (18+) in Flanders, Belgium. This research is funded by the Research Foundation Flanders. Results Results show that both emotional and existential loneliness follow a U-shaped pattern with higher loneliness in young and old adulthood. Social and collective loneliness are unrelated to age. Regression analyses demonstrate that older adults (55+) are not lonelier (for none of the loneliness types) than the reference group (45-54 years), once controlled for sociodemographic variables (gender, educational level, employment status, income, health and partner status). However, adults of 18-44 years are more emotionally lonely and adults of 25-34 years are more existentially lonely. This implies that the higher emotional and existential loneliness of older adults are explained by those sociodemographic variables, but that for young adults other factors are simultaneously at play. Conclusions Our findings show that the prevalence of distinct loneliness types depends on various sociodemographic factors and the specific life phases of people. Therefore, it is crucial to take into account the specific life phases of adults and the different loneliness types when developing more effective loneliness interventions. Key messages • Emotional and existential loneliness are related to age, and follow a U-shaped curve with higher loneliness in young and old adulthood. • It is crucial to take the different loneliness types and the specific life phases of adults into account when developing loneliness interventions.