Young people, especially males, are spending more time alone today compared to a decade ago, driven by a shift towards individual work and an increase in the time spent in front of screens, according to a new study conducted by the British "Resolution" Foundation.
The study "Completely Alone," supported by the "Connecting Generations" research program funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), examines the changes in the amount of time young people spend alone over the past ten years and the factors behind these shifts.
Based on daily data tracking how individuals spend their days in the UK, the study found that young males aged 18 to 29 spent over a fifth of their waking hours alone, averaging around six and a half hours daily in 2023, an increase of two hours compared to 2014 and 2015.
Young females, on the other hand, currently spend an additional hour and a half alone daily compared to a decade ago, totaling around five hours per day.
In contrast, older adults spend less time alone compared to a decade ago. The study indicates that women over sixty and men over seventy spend between one to one and a half hours less alone each day.
Not only do young people spend more time alone compared to older age groups, but they are also more likely to feel lonely.
Adults aged 18 to 29 reported feeling lonely for 14% of their time, which is double the rate recorded among those aged 60 to 69, who reported 7%.
The study suggests that part of this trend may be linked to the increased time young people spend in front of screens. Research indicates that individuals aged 18 to 29 who spend most of their time online are about four percentage points more likely to feel lonely, with rates at 16% compared to 12% among those who do not spend most of their time online.
However, screen use in leisure time is not the only factor behind the increase in hours young people spend alone. The rise of remote work, accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, has reduced opportunities for direct face-to-face interaction, particularly among employees at the start of their careers.
The study clarifies that paid work has been the biggest driver of the increase in the time workers spend alone since the mid-decade, with remote work accounting for about two-thirds of this increase.
Results also showed that men aged 18 to 29 currently spend an additional hour and a half daily working alone compared to the mid-decade.
Researcher at the Resolution Foundation, Parth Bandia, stated that the increasing number of young people spending more time alone and feeling lonely should not be overlooked.
He explained that spending some time alone can be beneficial and comforting, but excessive solitude may have negative effects on health and well-being.
He added that young people aged 18 to 29 who reported a decline in their health in 2023 spent three additional hours alone daily compared to their peers in 2014 and 2015, a trend that did not appear as clearly among older age groups.