One out of every ten adolescents expresses strong feelings of loneliness.
Alone times are prevalent among the younger generation, as shown by a Bertelsmann survey. Around 11% of 16-30-year-olds stated they experience severe loneliness, with an additional 35% feeling somewhat lonely. The research identifies several risk factors.
About one in ten young Germans reported experiencing extreme loneliness, according to a survey by the Bertelsmann Foundation in Gütersloh. Roughly half of young people between 16 and 30 years old (46%) reported experiencing some level of loneliness. Those aged 19-22 experienced the highest levels of loneliness.
Compared to a study conducted during the pandemic year of 2021 and the previous year, fewer young people reported feelings of emotional and social loneliness in the current year. In 2024, 60% of young people reported feelings of emotional loneliness, with 14% experiencing severe loneliness. The percentage of socially lonely people was 39%, with 10% reporting severe loneliness.
Women more impacted than men
The survey reveals that young women are more prone to loneliness than young men. This trend holds true for young people who are divorced, widowed, unemployed, have a low educational background, reside in medium-sized cities, or have a migration background. These particularly lonely groups, as per the Bertelsmann survey, also reported a lower level of life satisfaction.
In general, young people in Germany expressed a satisfactory overall life satisfaction. Life satisfaction was rated at 6.75 on a scale of 0 (completely dissatisfied) to 10 (completely satisfied). The survey gathered opinions from 2532 young people aged 16 to 30 through online polls between March 13 and 29.
As per Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus, loneliness is a largely unrecognized problem that can cause long-term harm to democracy. "Those who lose trust in society also lose trust in democracy," Paus told the Funke Media Group newspapers. This leads to a decrease in political participation, as well as a reluctance to vote. Additionally, the Minister highlighted that loneliness, according to the World Health Organization, is just as harmful "as obesity, smoking, and air pollution."
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The Bertelsmann study on loneliness among young people internationally found that Lisa Paus, the Federal Family Minister, also recognizes loneliness as a significant issue in Germany, viewing it as a threat to democracy. Lisa Paus noted that severe loneliness can have long-term harmful effects on society, leading to decreased political participation and a reluctance to vote, similar to how other health issues like obesity and smoking impact overall wellbeing.
