Are middle-aged Americans lonelier than Europeans?

By Imogen Howse via SWNS

Middle-aged adults in the United States are lonelier than their counterparts in Europe, a new study has revealed.

Researchers have linked the so-called "loneliness gap" to Americans having weaker family ties – often prompted by a culture of "individualism" – and to countries in Europe having stronger safety nets for issues around finances or unemployment.

Social media was also found to be a contributor, as was increasing job insecurity – with the study calling on governments to bring in policies to tackle this "global health issue."

Despite things being worse in the US though, loneliness was still found to be on the rise in most countries, including the United Kingdom.

A team from the American Psychological Association examined 53,000 people from across the US and 13 European countries.

Data was collected between 2002 and 2020 from three generations, the Silent Generation, born between 1928 and 1946, Baby Boomers, born 1946 to 1964 and Generation X, those born 1965 to 1980 with responses only logged when participants were between the ages of 45 and 65.

Results of the study revealed that adults in the US reported significantly higher levels of loneliness than adults in Europe.

Things were worse for the younger adults, with late Baby Boomers and Generation X found to be lonelier than early Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation.

Lead author Dr. Frank Infurna, a professor at Arizona State University, said that this loneliness epidemic can be linked to American culture.

He explained: “Cultural norms in the US are often characterized by individualism and increasing political polarization.

“Increased social media use is also an issue, leading to declining social connections.”

Dr. Infurna said that the study focused on middle-aged adults because they take on most of the ‘load’ from society – a pressure which he argues is worse in the US.

“Middle-aged adults form the backbone of society, constituting most of the workforce while simultaneously supporting the needs of younger and older generations,” he said.

“In the US, this is further compounded by weaker family ties, increasing job insecurity, and income inequality – as well as by the fact that American social safety nets tend to be less comprehensive compared with some European nations.”

While the study, published in the journal American Psychologist, found that Americans are lonelier than Europeans, it also revealed that loneliness in general is on the rise around the world.

In the UK and Mediterranean Europe, loneliness followed a similar pattern to the US – with levels the highest amongst late Baby Boomers and Generation X.

Nordic Europe, which includes countries such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, was the exception – reporting stable or declining levels of loneliness across the generations.

Dr. Infurna argued that the study demonstrates the need for government intervention to tackle loneliness as a public health issue.

“Loneliness is gaining attention globally as a public health issue because it can increase one’s risk of depression, compromised immunity, chronic illness and death.

“Our research, which illustrates that people feel lonelier in some countries than in others during middle age, should alert policymakers to the potential root causes – and the things that can change or reverse such trends.”

He added that measures which reduce financial pressure, such as social safety nets and better job security, and actions which reduce conflict, such as better workplace family benefits, could all help lessen loneliness.

The study comes amid an increased focus on loneliness, highlighted by the US’ 2023 advisory on ‘the epidemic of loneliness’ and the UK and Japan’s recent appointment of ministers to address the problem.

“As opposed to being considered an epidemic – an outbreak that spreads rapidly and affects many individuals – our findings paint a picture akin to loneliness being endemic, regularly occurring within an area or community,” Dr. Infurna concluded.