Survey: Almost One in Four People Across the Globe Feel Lonely

Loneliness appears to be a significant challenge for many adults all over the globe, according to a recent survey.

Almost one in four feel “very or fairly lonely,” per a Meta-Gallup survey published Tuesday on Gallup’s blog.

People in over 140 countries were surveyed regarding the issue and the website said the number may be higher than what was recorded.

The site continued:

The survey represents approximately 77% of the world’s adults because it was not asked in the second-most populous country in the world, China.

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Not everyone is lonely. Forty-nine percent of people surveyed reported that they are not lonely at all, which translates into approximately 2.2 billion people across the 142 countries surveyed in this research.

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Overall, these global data show that a quarter of people report feeling very or fairly lonely, with older adults the least likely to report feelings of loneliness. Understanding differences in how people experience — or do not experience — loneliness across the globe can lead to new avenues for mitigating loneliness and improving social wellbeing in communities everywhere.

According to VeryWellMind, loneliness is a state of a person’s mind. It can cause one to feel empty, alone, and sometimes unwanted by others.

“People who are lonely often crave human contact, but their state of mind makes it more difficult to form connections with others,” the article said.

The site also recommends way to combat loneliness, such as engaging in community service or enjoyable activities, focusing on the positive, investing in relationships, and meeting with people who share similar interests.

Meanwhile, nearly four in ten college students reported feeling lonely and sad the previous day during the recent spring semester, according to a Gallup survey, Breitbart News reported in August.