Loneliness does not peak among the elderly, but among young people

Most people associate loneliness with old age. Our latest research in the Netherlands shows the opposite.

The loneliest age group in the country is not 65-plus. It is 18 to 25.

Almost 7 in 10 young adults say they feel lonely at least sometimes. Among the over-65s, this is more than 1 in 4.

Loneliness steadily decreases with every age group in between. That is at odds with almost every story we tell about loneliness. We see it as an aging problem, something we grow into instead of from.

Summer adds another layer to that. We asked everyone who feels lonely how the season affects that. Counting on all lonely adults, more say that the season makes it easier than harder. Sunlight, longer days, more reasons to go outside.

This changes with the youngest. Nearly 4 in 10 lonely adults aged 18 to 25 say that summer actually makes it harder, not lighter.

Why is not difficult to imagine. The season comes with a script: holidays with people, festivals with people, photos that prove you've spent the summer with people. If that doesn't fit your life, the gap is harder to ignore.

For many young people, summer is not a breather. It is actually heavier.