Loneliness
Definition
The proportion of young people aged 15 to 24 years who reported feeling lonely “sometimes”, “most of the time” or “always” during the previous 12 months, in the Quality of Life Survey, 2006.
Relevance
Self-assessed loneliness is an indicator of whether people are happy with the amount and quality of contact and connection that they have with others.
Loneliness is an undesirable state and may contribute to poor outcomes in other areas such as stress, anxiety or depression.
Current level
A quarter of young people surveyed in the 2006 Quality of Life Survey said that they had felt lonely in the last 12 months.
Twenty-one percent of youth aged 15 to 24 reported feeling lonely sometimes, with 4 percent saying that they had felt lonely most of the time.
Experience of loneliness in the last 12 months among 15 to 24 year olds, 2006
Source: Quality of Life Survey, 2006
