Report: Loneliness and Anxiety During Lockdown

April 2020

The following report describes how the coronavirus and lockdown affect loneliness and anxiety between age groups and gender.

The report is based on a survey that included 1,228 adults (80% from the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia) and was conducted by the company SocialSelf through an email survey (52% of respondents) and Amazon Mturk survey (48% of respondents) from April 1 through April 6, 2020.

How We Define Coronavirus Loneliness

In this study, we asked the question, “Do you feel more lonely because of the coronavirus?” The alternatives presented to respondents were Always, Often, Sometimes, or Never.

Respondents who chose Always or Often were categorized as experiencing coronavirus loneliness.

At a Glance

1. 1. Coronavirus loneliness is 70% more common among millennials than baby boomers.
   2. One in three respondents in the US is affected by coronavirus loneliness.
   3. Coronavirus loneliness affects 1 in 3 men compared to 1 in 4 women.
   4. Coronavirus loneliness affects millennial men most.
   5. Coronavirus loneliness isn’t just emotional: people who are lonely due to coronavirus isolation report worsened relationships three times as often as those not lonely.
   6. People who are lonely because of the coronavirus are more likely to have tried reaching out to others.
   7. Nine in ten feel more anxious because of the coronavirus
   8. Younger generations relieved not having to socialize — baby boomers not so much
   9. Young people worry about going back into society after the lockdown
   10. Younger generations’ social anxiety might make them appreciate the lockdown more
   11. People with social anxiety are relieved not having to socialize and are worried about returning to society
   12. Women are more anxious than men about the coronavirus crisis

1. Coronavirus Loneliness is 70% More Common Among Millennials Than Baby Boomers

Thirty-four percent of millennials always or often feel more lonely because of the coronavirus situation. This is 70% higher than baby boomers, where the corresponding number is 20%.

I have definitely been lonely. I think I was teetering on depression there for a week or two, but luckily, I have made some new acquaintances and friends while playing video games and that has honestly kept me sane. Also, VR helps a LOT. I can be anywhere in the world while still safe in my apartment.

– Alice

I am 71 years old and still working part-time 4 days a week as a Nurse. At home, I keep myself busy at all times. Meditation is a big part of my routine. I play a lot of music from Youtube, teach myself piano, and or keep busy with 2 grandchildren. I let the other person in the house do all the shopping as I do not want to get sick.

– Jennifer, Australia

Table 1.1: Distribution of responses between age groups

Question: Do you feel more lonely because of the coronavirus?

	18-23 n.	18-23%	24-39 n.	24-39%	40-54 n.	40-54%	55-75 n.	55-75%
Always/Often	73	27%	181	33.6%	55	22%	32	20%
Always	20	7%	53	9.8%	14	6%	9	6%
Often	53	20%	128	23.7%	41	16%	23	14%
Sometimes	128	48%	251	46.6%	114	45%	82	52%
Never	66	25%	107	19.9%	82	33%	45	28%
Totals	267	100%	539	100%	251	100%	159	100%

Grayed-out numbers do not represent a wide enough cross-section of the target population and cannot be reported.

2. One in Three Respondents in the US is Affected by Coronavirus Loneliness

Of US respondents, 30.8% always or often feel more lonely because of the coronavirus situation. This is 40% higher than the worldwide non-US average of 22%.

Table 2.1: Distribution of responses of US and non-US respondents

Question: Do you feel more lonely because of the coronavirus?

	Non-US n.	Non-US %	US n.	US %
Always or Often	87	22.0%	255	30.8%
Sometimes	207	52.4%	372	45.0%
Never	101	25.6%	200	24.2%
Totals	395	100.0%	827	100.0%

As seen in Table 2.1, a larger percentage of non-US respondents sometimes feel lonely because of the coronavirus situation (52.4% versus 45.0%). The difference between non-US and US respondents is much smaller for those who are never lonely (25.6% versus 24.2%).

3. Coronavirus Loneliness Affects 1 in 3 Men Compared to 1 in 4 Women

The diagram shows that 30.6% of men compared to 25.7% of women always or often feel more lonely because of the coronavirus situation.

Table 3.1: Distribution of responses between genders

Question: Do you feel more lonely because of the coronavirus?

	Female n.	Female %	Male n.	Male %
Always or Often	170	25.7%	165	30.6%
Sometimes	330	49.9%	240	44.5%
Never	161	24.4%	134	24.9%
Grand Total	661	100%	539	100%

No significant difference was recorded between genders of those who answered that they are never more lonely because of the coronavirus situation (24.4% women versus 24.9% men). However, more women than men answered that they are sometimes more lonely (49.9% versus 44.5%). This difference corresponds to the opposite gender difference of those who replied always or often (25.7% of women versus 30.6% of men).

4. Coronavirus Loneliness Affects Millennial Men Most

In this diagram, the data is split between gender and age group, comparing millennials to people 40 years of age and older.

Coronavirus loneliness is most prevalent among millennial men, with 35.7% always or often feeling lonely. In comparison, 31.4% of millennial women are always or often lonely. It is least prevalent among women 40 years old and older, with 18.4% feeling more lonely. Men who are 40 years of age or older score 26.4% on the same measurement. The gender difference in loneliness is larger in older generations than among millennials (26.4% versus 18.4% compared to 35.7% versus 31.4%).

Table 4.1: Distribution of responses between genders and age groups

Question: Do you feel more lonely because of the coronavirus?

	Female 24–39 n.	Female 24–39 %	Male 24–39 n.	Male 24–39 %	Female 40+ n.	Female 40+ %	Male 40+ n.	Male 40+ %
Always or Often	80	31.4%	99	35.7%	49	18.4%	38	26.4%
Sometimes	122	47.8%	124	44.8%	134	50.4%	64	44.4%
Never	53	20.8%	54	19.5%	83	31.2%	42	29.2%
Grand Total	255	100.0%	277	100.0%	266	100.0%	144	100.0%

While loneliness is highest among millennial men who responded to the survey (35.7%), across the board, a higher percentage of people feel occasionally lonely during the coronavirus situation. About twice as many people are sometimes lonely during the coronavirus situation than are always, often, or never lonely.

5. Coronavirus Loneliness Isn’t Just Emotional: People Who Are Lonely Due to Coronavirus Isolation Report Worsened Relationships Three Times as Often as Those Not Lonely

People who say they are always or often more lonely because of the coronavirus situation also say their relationships have worsened in more cases (29%) than those who are sometimes or never lonely (9%) because of the current situation. People who experience more loneliness caused by the coronavirus situation report more adverse effects on their relationships than others who haven’t been hit as hard by coronavirus loneliness.

When things were normal I was too busy to worry about who I was still in contact with or who I would send a text or call myself. I always wonder why people don’t seem to be the first to ask me out or ask me how I am doing. It has always seemed 99% my effort.

So having stopped everything in my life, it’s really hit home how little I communicate with friends and family outside my immediate household and workplace. It’s given me a chance to think about how I can get better at communicating with friends, because I don’t want to be forgotten or left out.

– Charles

Table 5.1: Distribution of relationship quality among lonely and not lonely respondents because of the coronavirus situation

Question: Have your relationships worsened because of the coronavirus?

	All n.	All %	Lonely* n.	Lonely* %	Not lonely* n.	Not lonely* %
Mostly or Significantly improved	241	20%	73	21%	167	19%
Mostly or Significantly worsened	181	15%	100	29%	80	9%
About the Same	802	66%	170	50%	630	72%
Grand Total	1224	100%	343	100%	877	100%

*Lonely respondents are defined as those who always or often feel lonely because of coronavirus isolation. Not lonely respondents are defined as those who never or sometimes feel lonely because of coronavirus isolation.

Most respondents did not see a significant change in the quality of their relationships due to coronavirus isolation. However, of those that did, lonely respondents were three times as likely to report that their relationships worsened. About a fifth of respondents across the board reported that their relationships actually improved due to the coronavirus isolation.

6. People Who Are Lonely Because of the Coronavirus Are More Likely to Have Tried Reaching Out to Others

Of the respondents who experienced increased loneliness during the coronavirus pandemic, 71% have tried reaching out to people they usually don’t contact. For people who never or sometimes are lonely, that number is 49%.

Table 6.1: Distribution of lonely and not lonely respondents who are reaching out due to the coronavirus situation

Question: Have you tried reaching out to people you usually don’t contact because of the coronavirus?

	Lonely* n.	Lonely* %	Not lonely* n.	Not lonely* %
Yes	283	71%	481	49%
No	117	29.3%	508	51.4%

*Lonely respondents are defined as those who always or often feel lonely because of the coronavirus. Not lonely respondents are defined as those who never or sometimes feel lonely because of the coronavirus.

Of the lonely respondents, 71% have tried reaching out to people they don’t typically connect with due to the isolation orders during the coronavirus situation. Conversely, of those who are not always or often lonely, a little less than half of the respondents have reached out to others during the pandemic.

7. Nine in Ten Feel More Anxious Because of the Coronavirus

Across all generations, nine out of ten respondents reported increased anxiety due to the coronavirus situation. An astounding 90.2% of millennial respondents between the ages of 24 and 39 reported feeling more anxious due to the effects of the global coronavirus concerns.

Older generations are similarly affected by this anxiety, as 88.8% of respondents between 40 and 54 (Generation X) and 86% of respondents between 55 and 75 (baby boomers) are more anxious because of the coronavirus situation. About 77% of respondents between 18 and 23 (Generation Z) reported feeling more anxious.

Table 7. Do you feel more anxious because of the coronavirus?

	All 18–99 n.	All 18–99 %	18–23 n.	18–23 %	24–39 n.	24–39 %	40–54 n.	40–54 %	55–75 n.	55–75 %
Always	209	17.0%	28	10.4%	102	18.9%	50	19.9%	27	16.9%
Never	164	13.4%	62	23.0%	53	9.8%	30	12.0%	18	11.3%
Often	355	29.0%	65	24.2%	182	33.7%	72	28.7%	35	21.9%
Sometimes	498	40.6%	114	42.4%	203	37.6%	99	39.4%	80	50.0%
Total	1,226	100.0%	269	100.0%	540	100.0%	251	100.0%	160	100.0%

8. Younger Generations Are Relieved Not Having to Socialize — Baby Boomers Not So Much

On average, more than half of all respondents under the age of 55 are relieved to be able to socialize less due to social distancing restrictions. Generation Z (between age 18 and 23) respondents are the most relieved, at 56.9%, followed by Generation X (between age 40 and 54) at 51.8%. Millennials (between age 24 and 39) are slightly less relieved than their parents, at 48.4%.

Of all four generations, baby boomers are the least relieved by social distancing restrictions due to the coronavirus crisis, as only 40.3% of baby boomer respondents reported feeling relieved to be required to socialize less.

I feel less lonely because I don’t feel the pressure to go out and socialize. I am free to be myself – which means I can spend less time around people without feeling the guilt I normally would feel. I actually feel as if I am thriving more and have less anxiety.

I am a registered nurse as well, so I am still working, although I’m working less. The only anxiety I have is about being exposed to the virus itself. Otherwise, life is good! Also, focusing more on a few friends and family (the few people who mean a lot to me) has helped me feel closer to them and made me realize how grateful I am for them.

– Hanna, Michigan

9. Young People Worry About Going Back into Society After the Lockdown

Respondents under age 55 disproportionately feel more anxiety about returning to normal society after lockdown. Of Generation Z respondents, 49.1% reported feeling worried about going back into society after social distancing restrictions are lifted. Of millennial respondents between 24 and 39, 42.6% reported feeling anxious. Generation X (between 40 and 54) reported only slightly less anxiety at 41%. Of baby boomer respondents, only 34% reported increased anxiety about returning to society after lockdown restrictions are lifted.

The thing I’m most anxious about is how I will be able to go outside again. I forgot how to interact with people and how to act. Going back to college scares me the most.

– Kim

10. Younger Generations’ Social Anxiety Might Make Them Appreciate the Lockdown More

All four generations of respondents reported being deeply affected by increased anxiety because of the coronavirus situation. When comparing the respondents’ answers to all four of these questions across generations, it seems to indicate that younger respondents who have more social anxiety are more likely to be relieved to socialize less and worry more about returning to society.

Despite the fact that baby boomer (age 55 to 76) respondents report just as much increased anxiety (88.8%) as millennials and Generation X (90.2% and 88%, respectively), boomers are much less grateful for the break from socialization and have much less fear about returning to society. Fewer baby boomers responded to the survey than any other generation in the chart.

Generation X (age 40 to 54) respondents report high levels of increased anxiety due to the coronavirus situation (88%), lower levels of social anxiety than their Generation Z and millennial counterparts, are more likely than millennials (but less likely than Generation Z) to feel relieved about socializing less (51.8%), and worry only slightly less than millennials about returning to society (41%).

Millennial respondents report the most increased anxiety due to the coronavirus situation (90.2%), but were still slightly less likely than Generation Z to have social anxiety, feel relief from having to socialize less (48.4%), or worry about returning to society (42.6%).

Generation Z respondents, on the other hand, report less increased anxiety (77%) due to the coronavirus situation than other generations, but experience more social anxiety, more relief from the pressure of socialization (56.9%), and more worry about returning to society when lockdown restrictions are lifted (49.1%).

Over the fall I returned home and opted into online classes as I was dealing with immense social pressures and social anxiety. I had been doing well in my classes but I felt lonely being stuck at home all day without a car or anywhere to go.

Now that everyone is in the same online class boat as me I feel much better about my decision as a whole and having family around all day everyday is making me feel better each day. I feel like I am getting my confidence back and I’m trying new things.

– Rob

11. People with Social Anxiety Are Relieved Not Having to Socialize and Are Worried About Returning to Society

While most respondents are more anxious because of the coronavirus situation, those who identify as socially anxious (of any generation) are more than twice as likely to be relieved by social distancing requirements that enable them to socialize less, and twice as likely to worry about returning to society than those respondents who don’t identify as socially anxious.

12. Women Are More Anxious Than Men About the Coronavirus Crisis

Of the female respondents, 90.1% report feeling more anxious due to the coronavirus situation compared to 82.6% of male respondents reporting the same. Women also report more social anxiety than men (57.5% to 54.3% respectively).

Men report less relief in socializing less (46.1%) than women (52.7%), meaning that more than half of the female respondents are grateful for the effects of social distancing requirements, but less than half of the male respondents report the same. Women who responded worry far more about returning to society (48%) than men (35.6%).

Demographics of Respondents

Age Distribution

18–23 (Generation Z)	269	21.9%
24–39 (Millennials)	541	44.1%
40–54 (Generation X)	251	20.4%
55–75 (Baby Boomers)	160	13.0%
76+ (Greatest/Silent Generation)	7	0.6%
Total	1,228	100.0%

Geographic Distribution

Country	Number of Respondents by Country (18+)	Distribution of respondents by Country
United States	832	68.3%
United Kingdom	79	6.5%
Canada	49	4.0%
India	38	3.1%
Sweden	30	2.5%
Australia	25	2.1%
Other	165	13.5%
Total	1,218	100.0%

Tables and Data

How We Define Coronavirus Loneliness

In this report, we asked the question, “Do you feel more lonely because of the coronavirus?” The alternatives presented to respondents were Always, Often, Sometimes, or Never.

Respondents who chose Always or Often were categorized as experiencing coronavirus loneliness.

Table 8. Do you have social anxiety?

	All 18–99 n.	All 18–99 %	18–23 n.	18–23 %	24–39 n.	24–39 %	40–54 n.	40–54 %	55–75 n.	55–75 %
Yes (combined)	688	56.2%	179	66.8%	324	60.0%	113	45.0%	70	43.8%
No (combined)	537	43.8%	89	33.2%	216	40.0%	138	55.0%	90	56.3%
Yes, I know I have social anxiety	295	24.1%	71	26.5%	155	28.7%	47	18.7%	22	13.8%
Yes, I think I have social anxiety	393	32.1%	108	40.3%	169	31.3%	66	26.3%	48	30.0%
No, I don’t think I have social anxiety	321	26.2%	66	24.6%	135	25.0%	76	30.3%	42	26.3%
No, I know I don’t have social anxiety	216	17.6%	23	8.6%	81	15.0%	62	24.7%	48	30.0%
Total	1,225	100.0%	268	100.0%	540	100.0%	251	100.0%	160	100.0%

Table 9. Are you relieved not having to socialize because of the lockdown?

	All 18–99 n.	All 18–99 %	18–23 n.	18–23 %	24–39 n.	24–39 %	40–54 n.	40–54 %	55–75 n.	55–75 %
Yes (combined)	610	49.8%	153	56.9%	261	48.4%	130	51.8%	64	40.3%
No (combined)	614	50.2%	116	43.1%	278	51.6%	121	48.2%	95	59.7%
Yes, a lot	143	11.7%	37	13.8%	61	11.3%	33	13.1%	12	7.5%
Yes, somewhat	467	38.2%	116	43.1%	200	37.1%	97	38.6%	52	32.7%
No, mostly not	356	29.1%	71	26.4%	166	30.8%	65	25.9%	52	32.7%
No, not at all	258	21.1%	45	16.7%	112	20.8%	56	22.3%	43	27.0%
Total	1,224	100.0%	269	100.0%	539	100.0%	251	100.0%	159	100.0%

Table 10. Do you worry about going back into society after the lockdown?

	All 18–99 n.	All 18–99 %	18–23 n.	18–23 %	24–39 n.	24–39 %	40–54 n.	40–54 %	55–75 n.	55–75 %
Yes (combined)	520	42.5%	131	49.1%	230	42.6%	103	41.0%	54	34.0%
No (combined)	703	57.5%	136	50.9%	310	57.4%	148	59.0%	105	66.0%
Yes, a lot	147	12.0%	38	14.2%	66	12.2%	28	11.2%	13	8.2%
Yes, somewhat	373	30.5%	93	34.8%	164	30.4%	75	29.9%	41	25.8%
No, mostly not	386	31.6%	88	33.0%	167	30.9%	80	31.9%	50	31.4%
No, never	317	25.9%	48	18.0%	143	26.5%	68	27.1%	55	34.6%
Total	1,223	100.0%	267	100.0%	540	100.0%	251	100.0%	159	100.0%

Table 11. Distribution by social anxiety

Do you have social anxiety?	Social Anxiety 18–99 n.	Social Anxiety 18–99 %	No Social Anxiety 18–99 n.	No Social Anxiety 18–99 %
Yes (combined)	688	100.0%	0	0.0%
No (combined)	0	0.0%	537	100.0%
Yes, I know I have social anxiety	295	42.9%	0	0.0%
Yes, I think I have social anxiety	393	57.1%	0	0.0%
No, I don’t think I have social anxiety	0	0.0%	321	59.8%
No, I know I don’t have social anxiety	0	0.0%	216	40.2%
Total	688	100.0%	537	100.0%
Do you feel more anxious because of the coronavirus?	Social Anxiety 18–99 n.	Social Anxiety 18–99 %	No Social Anxiety 18–99 n.	No Social Anxiety 18–99 %
Always/Often/Sometimes	619	90.0%	443	82.6%
Always	138	20.1%	71	13.2%
Never	69	10.0%	93	17.4%
Often	228	33.1%	127	23.7%
Sometimes	253	36.8%	245	45.7%
Total	688	100.0%	536	100.0%
Are you relieved not having to socialize because of the lockdown?	Social Anxiety 18–99 n.	Social Anxiety 18–99 %	No Social Anxiety 18–99 n.	No Social Anxiety 18–99 %
Yes (combined)	451	65.6%	157	29.4%
No (combined)	237	34.4%	377	70.6%
Yes, a lot	110	16.0%	33	6.2%
Yes, somewhat	341	49.6%	124	23.2%
No, mostly not	161	23.4%	195	36.5%
No, not at all	76	11.0%	182	34.1%
Total	688	100.0%	534	100.0%
Do you worry about going back into society after the lockdown?	Social Anxiety 18–99 n.	Social Anxiety 18–99 %	No Social Anxiety 18–99 n.	No Social Anxiety 18–99 %
Yes (combined)	387	56.3%	133	25.0%
No (combined)	301	43.8%	400	75.0%
Yes, a lot	112	16.3%	35	6.6%
Yes, somewhat	275	40.0%	98	18.4%
No, mostly not	211	30.7%	174	32.6%
No, never	90	13.1%	226	42.4%
Total	688	100.0%	533	100.0%

Table 12. Distribution by gender

Do you feel more anxious because of the coronavirus?	Men  18–99 n.	Men   18–99 %	Women  18–99 n.	Women  18–99 %
Always/Often/Sometimes (combined)	446	82.6%	598	90.1%
Always	72	13.3%	134	20.2%
Never	94	17.4%	66	9.9%
Often	132	24.4%	219	33.0%
Sometimes	242	44.8%	245	36.9%
Total	540	100.0%	664	100.0%
Do you have social anxiety?	Men  18–99 n.	Men   18–99 %	Women  18–99 n.	Women  18–99 %
Yes (combined)	293	54.3%	381	57.5%
No (combined)	247	45.7%	282	42.5%
No, I don’t think I have social anxiety	155	28.7%	160	24.1%
No, I know I don’t have social anxiety	92	17.0%	122	18.4%
Yes, I know I have social anxiety	116	21.5%	169	25.5%
Yes, I think I have social anxiety	177	32.8%	212	32.0%
Total	540	100.0%	663	100.0%
Are you relieved not having to socialize because of the lockdown?	Men  18–99 n.	Men   18–99 %	Women  18–99 n.	Women  18–99 %
Yes (combined)	249	46.1%	349	52.7%
No (combined)	291	53.9%	313	47.3%
No, mostly not	167	30.9%	182	27.5%
No, not at all	124	23.0%	131	19.8%
Yes, a lot	50	9.3%	89	13.4%
Yes, somewhat	199	36.9%	260	39.3%
Total	540	100.0%	662	100.0%
Do you worry about going back into society after the lockdown?	Men  18–99 n.	Men   18–99 %	Women  18–99 n.	Women  18–99 %
Yes (combined)	192	35.6%	318	48.0%
No (combined)	347	64.4%	344	52.0%
No, mostly not	182	33.8%	196	29.6%
No, never	165	30.6%	148	22.4%
Yes, a lot	51	9.5%	94	14.2%
Yes, somewhat	141	26.2%	224	33.8%
Total	539	100.0%	662	100.0%

A Letter from the Author

April 2020

Several studies have been made on loneliness. But what effect does the coronavirus lockdown have on loneliness in the US and globally?

In our previous report, written together with 15 psychologists and loneliness experts, we looked at how to tackle millennial loneliness.

This report, based on our survey of 1,228 adults, confirms trends shown in previous surveys and adds new findings. A 2019 survey conducted by the insurance company Cigna found that younger generations are lonelier than older generations. A 2018 UK national survey found that 22% of millennials report having no friends and that 30% often feel lonely. In comparison, 15% of baby boomers report that they often feel lonely.

This report shows that millennials are significantly lonelier because of the coronavirus than baby boomers. Of millennial respondents, 34% (compared to 20% of baby boomers) say that they experience more loneliness because of the coronavirus situation.

The report also shows that the US is more affected than the non-US world average in terms of loneliness because of the lockdown.

There is also a significant gender difference. Of the men who responded, 30.6% (compared to 25.7% of women) often or always feel more lonely because of the coronavirus situation.

My hope is that this report improves understanding and helps leaders in their decision-making in regard to lockdown-related loneliness.

Sincerely,
Viktor Sander, counselor at SocialSelf

About SocialSelf

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