One small step
The Co-op Foundation, 2021
This research from the Co-op Foundation explores the impact of loneliness on young people’s mental wellbeing, skills and sense of community.
The research shows:
- Chronic youth loneliness (young people who are lonely often or always) has risen by 400,000 over the past year to 1.9m
- Young people who have ever had free school meals are twice as likely to be chronically lonely compared to those who haven’t (20% compared to 10%)
- 85% of chronically lonely young people say loneliness has negatively impacted on their mental wellbeing while 70% said it made them less able to perform well in school or work.
- Half of all lonely young people (50%) say loneliness makes them less likely to want to help out in their local community
- Three fifths of all young people who feel lonely (61%) say it’s made them want to help other lonely young people.