Lack of money fuelling loneliness among young people, study suggests
The Co-op has stepped up a campaign aimed at helping young people share stories of loneliness.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Many young people say not having the money to take part in activities is having a negative impact on how lonely they feel, research suggests.
A survey of 2,000 people aged between 10 and 25 by the Co-op’s charity, the Co-op Foundation, found that 95% said they felt lonely, a 6% increase in the past 12 months.
More than half of those describing themselves as lonely said not being able to afford to take part in activities affected how they felt.
The charity said this raises concerns about how the cost-of-living crisis will further affect young people in the coming months.
Only one in four respondents said they believe youth loneliness is treated seriously by society, and two thirds of lonely young people said feeling lonely makes them lose confidence in themselves.
The Co-op stepped up its Lonely Not Alone campaign aimed at helping young people share stories of loneliness.
Nick Crofts, chief executive of the Co-op Foundation, said: “The cost-of-living crisis is another blow to young people who’ve had to overcome so much over the past two years.
“Young people will need help from parents, guardians, teachers and employers alike as the UK tightens the purse strings through a difficult winter.
“I hope the Lonely Not Alone digital universe can be an added source of support to help boost youth mental wellbeing in communities and tackle loneliness. Young people might be lonely, but they’re not alone.”