Note: Different studies report different loneliness rates because they use different questions and measurement scales. Some surveys ask directly about loneliness; others measure related signals such as how often people interact socially or whether relationships feel supportive. Even so, the broad trends—and which groups tend to report higher or lower loneliness—are generally consistent across credible sources.
If you want to go deeper, the resources below offer a range of entry points, from accessible journalism to major reports, talks, and books.
Articles
- Why Is the Loneliness Epidemic So Hard to Cure?
The New York Times Magazine, August 28, 2024, by Matthew Shaer. - We Need to Understand the Difference Between Isolation and Loneliness
The New York Times, August 18, 2021, by Kim Tingley. - America Needs a Chief Friendship Officer
Fast Company, August 26, 2021, by Adam Smiley Poswolsky. - Take a “Social in All Policies” Approach to Bring Better Health to More People
Milken Institute, October 11, 2023, by Julianne Holt-Lunstad.
Reports and Studies
- Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community
Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, 2023. - My Parting Prescription for America
by Vivek H. Murthy, 2025. - Loneliness in America: Just the Tip of the Iceberg?
Making Caring Common (Harvard Graduate School of Education), 2024. - Social Connection in America 2025 Survey Report
Social Connection in America, 2025. - From Loneliness to Social Connection: Charting a Path to Healthier Societies
World Health Organization Commission on Social Connection, 2024. - Socially Connected Communities: Solutions for Social Isolation
Healthy Places by Design, 2021. - On Edge: Understanding and Preventing Young Adults’ Mental Health Challenges
Making Caring Common (Harvard Graduate School of Education), 2023. - Study: Loneliness highest in the 20s and lowest in the 60s
University of California San Diego News, March 29, 2024.
Videos and Podcasts
- Vivek Murthy introduces Together [Video]
The Next Big Idea Podcast, 2022. - Introducing a Systemic Framework of Social Connection (2021 Action Forum) [Video]
Foundation for Social Connection, 2021. - Are we in a “loneliness pandemic?” [Podcast]
American Psychological Association, Speaking of Psychology, 2022.
Books
- Bowling Alone: Revised and Updated
Robert D. Putnam, Simon & Schuster, 2020. - Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World
Vivek H. Murthy, HarperCollins, 2020. - Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection
Ben Rein, Avery, 2025. - Project UnLonely: Healing Our Crisis of Disconnection
Jeremy Nobel, Avery, 2023.