[Youth Isolation 24 Hours] 6 out of 10 Say "Lonely"... Complaints of Relationship Breakdown and Deprivation

<2>2024 Isolation Awareness Survey
① Macromill Embrain 'Loneliness Awareness Survey'
59% of people in their 20s feel 'lonely'... "No one to meet"
2030 complain of communication difficulties... Relative deprivation increases
Best confidants are 'friends'

Editor's NoteWhen eating alone after work, having hundreds of contacts saved on your phone but no one to confide in when you're going through tough times, or when you're sick or broke but can't ask for help... The young adults in their 20s and 30s whom Asia Economy met confessed that they felt isolated in such moments. Could this be your story too? If you have thought that words like 'hikikomori' or 'reclusive loner' are stories from a different world, now is the time to properly reconsider isolation and seclusion.

Six out of ten adults reported feeling lonely in their daily lives. Especially, the younger generation (people in their 20s and 30s), who represent the future, showed signs of loneliness due to disconnection from others. Due to their active use of social networking services (SNS), they not only feel relative deprivation by comparing themselves to others but also tend to fear face-to-face communication.

On a rainy weekend night, young people are studying at a library in Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Heo Young-han

According to an online survey conducted by market research firm Macromill Embrain from the 4th to the 8th of last month targeting 1,000 adults aged 19 to 59 nationwide, 57% responded that they feel lonely in their daily lives. Although this is a slight improvement compared to 60.2% during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, it worsened compared to last year’s 53.6%. By age group, 59.2% of respondents in their 20s reported feeling lonely, exceeding the average. For those in their 30s, it was 52.8%, 40s at 60.0%, and 50s at 56.0%.

Loneliness refers to a subjective feeling of lack or loss of social connection or relationships. Social isolation refers to an objectively absent or insufficient degree and frequency of connection with others or society. Embrain explained that the more frequently people feel lonely, the more they tend to perceive themselves as isolated from the social system.

Regarding reasons for feeling lonely, young adults in their 20s and 30s most frequently cited "feeling like there is no one to meet" at 42.6% and 42.4% respectively (multiple responses allowed). For those in their 30s, "feeling disconnected from others" was higher than other age groups at 29.5%. For people in their 50s, the top reason for loneliness was "lack of financial comfort" (45.0%), followed by "having no one to confide in" (37.1%).

Respondents in their 20s and 30s said that although they want to confide in someone when feeling lonely or depressed and have such a person, it is actually difficult to open up. When asked if they have someone to confide in when feeling isolated or depressed, the highest response across all age groups was "I have someone and occasionally confide." However, in their 20s and 30s, the rate of "I have someone to confide in but find it hard to talk" was about 10 percentage points higher than in their 40s and 50s.

This reflects the characteristics of young adults in their 20s and 30s who experience difficulties in interpersonal relationships. In this survey, when asked "When you actually have to meet and talk to someone, do you worry about what to say first?" 49.6% of those in their 20s and 44.4% in their 30s answered "yes." For the same question, 34.4% of those in their 40s and 27.2% in their 50s said yes, showing a gap of more than 20 percentage points between those in their 20s and 50s. This shows that young adults tend to fear direct communication with others.

People in their 20s also showed a tendency for relative deprivation felt through frequent SNS use to lead to loneliness. They responded significantly above average to three items: ▲comparing their lives with peers through SNS or news ▲frequently checking SNS out of curiosity about others’ lives ▲suddenly feeling lonely when seeing peers living more stylish and comfortable lives on SNS. Regarding the question "Do you suddenly feel lonely when you see peers living more stylish and comfortable lives on SNS?" the average affirmative response rate was 34.3%, but for those in their 20s, it was 47.2%, 12.9 percentage points higher.

Cha Seon-ae, head of the Content Business Division at Macromill Embrain, analyzed, "Respondents in their 20s who feel strong loneliness tend to frequently compare their lives with those around them through SNS and feel a lot of deprivation as a result."

Regarding ways to relieve loneliness, activities that can be enjoyed alone such as "watching TV," "watching online video services (OTT)," and "listening to music" showed high rates across all age groups. The response rate for items related to relieving loneliness through social relationships gradually decreased from those in their 20s to those in their 50s. For example, 27% of people in their 20s said they "call acquaintances or friends," but only 15.7% of those in their 50s did. Similarly, "messaging acquaintances or friends" was 35.1% for those in their 20s, but dropped sharply to 22% for 30s, 14.7% for 40s, and 10.0% for 50s.

Across all age groups, "friends" were identified as the best people to confide in. Among those in their 20s, 7 out of 10 respondents (multiple responses allowed) chose friends as the easiest to open up to, a higher rate than the 30s and 40s (in the 50% range) or 50s (63.6%). Those who found it difficult to open up mostly cited "strangers with no direct relationship" or acquaintances such as coworkers.

Check your level of loneliness and social isolation risk

Loneliness and Social Isolation Scale

https://www.asiae.co.kr/en/list/project/2024050314290051322A

If you want to read the 'Youth Isolation 24 Hours' articles

<1>Youth isolated and reclusive people Asia Economy met
① I am a 28-year-old isolated youth... "A being who cannot fulfill a one-person role"
② Isolation caused by employment... A day spent without saying a word all day
③ Harder than parenting is having 'no one to talk to'... That’s how depression came
④ Eating instant rice and ramen for 3 years and playing games all day... When emotional instability worsens, eventually

<2>2024 Isolation Awareness Survey
① Six out of ten say "I feel lonely"... Complaining of pain from relationship breakdown and deprivation
② "Feeling alone at work"... One in two office workers say "isolation worsened"