“The Lonely Generation”: How do Irish young people perceive loneliness and its causes?
Young people report higher levels of loneliness than any other age group, even more than older people aged 75+. As a result, the media often labels Gen Z as “the loneliest generation”. Societal changes including a cost-of-living crisis, increasing time spent on social media and fewer community spaces have all been proposed as potential explanations for this rise. But how do young people actually perceive loneliness and its causes? A recent study conducted by Dr Emma Kirwan (former PhD candidate at the University of Limerick) explored this question by speaking to Irish young people about their experiences.
What is Loneliness?
Loneliness is the negative feeling that arises when a person perceives their social relationships to be inadequate. A person can be socially lonely when they feel they do not have a wide enough social network or emotionally lonely if they feel like they lack meaningful or close relationships.
European survey data indicates that over 40% of young people aged 16-25 are moderately lonely 1 2 . While these statistics are concerning, it is important to explore how loneliness is actually experienced by young people. While prolonged loneliness can be damaging to physical and mental health, short term loneliness can be normal or even helpful, prompting us to reconnect with others.
To better understand young people’s perspectives of loneliness, Dr Kirwan’s article, published in Emerging Adulthood, analysed interviews from 27 young people aged 18-25.
Main Findings
A Part of Development
Loneliness is a common experience that can come about due to typical development and transitions during this life stage. Young people viewed loneliness as a part of growing up, and described it as an aspect of social transitions, like finishing school, that can cause shifts in emerging adults’ social relationships, making them vulnerable to loneliness.
Impact of Social Expectations
Young people’s feelings of loneliness can be influenced by both personal and perceived societal expectations about how their social lives "should be". Social media can intensify this through social comparison, where young people compare their social lives to others'; curated highlights.
Experiences of Loneliness are Varied
Loneliness involves negative feelings, but there are individual differences in how emerging adults perceive their experience. Some young people found loneliness prompted valuable reflection on themselves and their relationships, suggesting it can serve as an opportunity for personal growth.
Recommendations
Occasional loneliness is normal
Although loneliness is unpleasant and can be distressing, occasional feelings of loneliness are quite normal for emerging adults. However, when loneliness is felt very strongly, or very persistently, young people might benefit from supports to prevent further mental health impacts.
Considerations for interventions
Interventions targeting loneliness should consider if young people are experiencing short- term or persistent loneliness. Specialist interventions for loneliness among young people may not always be necessary. Prevention-focused approaches and supports for managing loneliness to encourage successful reconnection may be useful.
Read the study in full here: (opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968231194380
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Research bulletin authors
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Dr Emma Kirwan, Postdoctoral researcher at University of Galway (previous PhD candidate at University of Limerick) |
Rachel Murphy, Postdoctoral researcher at University College Dublin and member ofthe UCD Youth Mental Health Lab. |
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Emma and Rachel are members of (opens in a new window)The Loneliness Taskforce Research Network. Find more information about the network’s mission here: (opens in a new window)https://lonelinessresearch.org/
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1 BBC Loneliness Experiment. (2018). Who feels lonely? The results of the world’s largest loneliness study. Retrieved May 25 from https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2yzhfv4DvqVp5nZyxBD8G23/who-feels-lonely-the-results-of-the-world-s-largest-loneliness-study
2 Murphy, R., & Deimantas, V. (2024). Examining cross national determinants of social and emotional loneliness in young adults aged 18-25 using the Gender and Generations dataset [Poster presentation]. International Association for Youth Mental Health Conference 2025, Vancouver, Canada.