YouGov: Millennials are the loneliest generation

199IT original compilation

New data from YouGov finds that millennials are more likely to feel lonely than Gen X and baby boomers were when they were younger. While 30% of millennials say they always or often feel lonely, only one in five Gen X respondents (20%) say the same. Even fewer baby boomers (15%) say the same.

Millennials are also more likely than older generations to report that they have no acquaintances (25%), no friends (22%), no close friends (27%), and no best friends (30%).

However, the majority of millennials (70%) have at least one best friend, and nearly half (49%) say they have between one and four “close friends.”

Excessive use of social media may be one reason some Americans feel isolated.

About three in ten Americans (31%) say they have a hard time making friends. The most common reason cited is shyness (53%). Another 27% say it’s hard to make friends because they “feel like they don’t need friends.” A similar number (26%) say they don’t have any hobbies or interests that could foster friendships.

Despite these perceived barriers, friendships are still being forged. More than 4 in 10 Americans (42%) have made a new friend in the past six months. Even Millennials fare well in this regard: 38% have made a new friend in the past six months.

Wondering where to make new friends? You can look at your office, your neighborhood, your church, or even your kids.

Most Americans say they have at least one friend through work (76%) or in their local community (61%). More than four in 10 (44%) have made friends through church or other spiritual communities, and 38% have made at least one friend through informal means. The same number of Americans say they have made friends through their children.

Six in 10 Americans (62%) are still close with at least one friend from high school. Most Americans (54%) are still in touch with friends they have known since childhood, and 34% of respondents are still in touch with friends they met in college.

199IT.com Originally compiled from: YouGov. Please do not reprint without authorization