Study: 59% of Women, 41% of Seniors Feel Isolated

Study: 59% of Women, 41% of Seniors Feel Isolated

By Rhonda Collins, I Start Wondering Columnist and Dorian Martin, I Start Wondering Founder

The Cigna Group continues to track the rate of loneliness in U.S. adults. The group’s most recent study compared post-pandemic data with previous data taken in 2018 and 2019. Their finding: “more than half of U.S. adults (58%) are considered lonely. This is fairly consistent with pre-pandemic research  that showed 61% of adults experiencing loneliness in 2019, after a seven percentage point increase from 2018.”

The latest data also suggests:

• 59% of women report feeling isolated.

• 16% of people ages 55 and older describe themselves as feeling left out.

• 41% of seniors who are 66 years and older say they are lonely. 

Additional demographic, economic, and location factors shed more light on the subject of loneliness. The researchers found:

• Minorities (75% of Hispanics and 61% of African Americans) report more loneliness.

• 63% of the poor (who earn less than $50,000 per year) are experiencing more loneliness than the general U.S. population (58%).

• By a narrow margin, people who live in rural communities report being more lonely (47%) than people living in urban areas (46.7%) and suburban communities (44.7%).

Mental and physical health also play a role in the equation:

• 77% of adults classified as having fair or poor physical health experience loneliness.

• Adults classified as lonely are significantly more likely to have received a diagnosis or are receiving care for health issues such as sleep disorders, weight problems, and substance use.

• Adults who have mental health issues are more than twice as likely to experience loneliness as those with strong mental health.