Insights Across Age Groups and Genders
Loneliness has become a defining social challenge in Australia. While often associated with ageing, loneliness is now widespread across all age groups and genders, with distinct patterns that reflect shifting cultural, technological, and relational dynamics. Recent evidence, including the University of Melbourne’s research on youth loneliness (Smyth & Shields, 2023) and the 2025 A Call for Connection report, highlights the urgency of addressing loneliness as a public health and spiritual concern.
Youth and Young Adults: Disconnection in a Hyperconnected World
Contrary to stereotypes, loneliness is most prevalent among young Australians. According to Smyth and Shields (2023), young people report higher rates of loneliness than older adults, driven by several factors:
- Digital dependency: While social media offers connection, it often fosters comparison, exclusion, and superficial interactions.
- Transitions: Moving from school to university, or into insecure employment, often disrupts social networks.
- Mental health: The A Call for Connection (2025) report found that loneliness among youth is closely linked to rising rates of anxiety and depression, with young women reporting particularly high levels of social isolation.
Youth loneliness reflects both structural precarity and cultural shifts. Many young people feel they belong everywhere and nowhere at once.
Middle-Aged Adults: The Pressures of Responsibility
For adults in midlife, loneliness arises less from social isolation and more from role strain. The Australian Psychological Society’s (2018) survey identified that work pressures, family breakdown, and financial insecurity contribute significantly to feelings of disconnection.
- Men in midlife often struggle with shrinking friendship networks, as work and family responsibilities take precedence.
- Women in midlife may experience loneliness through the “sandwich generation” effect—caring for both children and ageing parents while losing time for friendships.
Despite being surrounded by people, many midlife adults feel unseen and unsupported.
Older Adults: Loss and Social Fragmentation
For older Australians, loneliness is often linked to bereavement, health decline, and mobility limitations. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2021) notes that almost 1 in 5 older people report frequent loneliness.
- Older women tend to experience longer periods of loneliness due to higher life expectancy and widowhood.
- Older men, particularly those with fewer social networks outside of work, face acute risks of isolation after retirement.
The erosion of neighbourhood connections and declining church participation—once strong sources of belonging—have intensified loneliness in later life.
Gendered Dimensions of Loneliness
Gender shapes how loneliness is experienced and expressed.
- Men often underreport loneliness due to cultural expectations around stoicism and independence (Franklin et al., 2019). When expressed, it is frequently tied to the loss of purposeful roles.
- Women are more likely to acknowledge loneliness, but also more likely to suffer relationally based loneliness, particularly linked to caregiving burdens and disrupted social ties.
References
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2021). Social isolation and loneliness. Canberra: AIHW.
- Australian Psychological Society. (2018). Australian Loneliness Report. Melbourne: APS.
- Franklin, A., Barbosa Neves, B., Hookway, N., Patulny, R., Tranter, B., & Jaworski, K. (2019). Towards an understanding of loneliness among Australian men: Gender cultures, embodied expression and the social bases of belonging. Journal of Sociology, 55(2), 124–143.
- Smyth, C., & Shields, K. (2023). Australia’s young people are getting lonelier. University of Melbourne: Pursuit.
- A Call for Connection: Understanding and addressing youth loneliness in Australia. (2025). Loneliness Awareness Week Australia.