According to the World Health Organisation, about 16% of people worldwide are facing social isolation and loneliness. In 2024, 22% of UK adults said they felt lonely at least some of the time.
But that loneliness is not shared equally. Younger generations seem to be lonelier than older ones, while almost half of people in poverty say they feel lonely compared to 15% of high earners.
And new data from the Belonging Forum’s 2026 Belonging Barometer has found that “people reporting poor mental health are five times more likely to feel lonely” than those with good mental health.
What did the research find?
The survey, conducted with Opinium, involved 10,000 UK adults.
It’s part of the Belonging Barometer, which the Belonging Forum says is designed to look at “how connected people feel to others, their communities, and their sense of purpose”.
- Roughly one in five people with poor mental (21%) or physical health (20%) say they have no close friends,
- Only 27% of those with poor mental health say the things they do in life are worthwhile, compared to 85% in good mental health,
- Only 33% of people with poor mental health said they feel a strong sense of belonging to their neighbourhood, compared to 65% in good mental health,
- Nearly two-thirds (64%) of people with poor mental health reported high anxiety yesterday, vs 29% of those in good mental health,
- Though 76% of those with good mental health say they are satisfied with their friendships, this falls to 52% among those reporting poor mental health,
- Two in five people with poor mental health report feeling lonely often or always, compared to 3% of people in good mental health.
That means about 2.9 million people in the UK with poor mental health say they feel lonely often or always – “roughly the population of Greater Manchester”.
“Health and belonging are closely connected”
Kim Samuel, founder and chief architect of the Belonging Forum, said: “Health and belonging are closely connected. When people struggle with their physical or mental health, they are much more likely to experience loneliness, weaker friendships, and higher levels of anxiety.”
He added, “These findings show that belonging is not only about community or identity. It is also about wellbeing. When people are unwell or facing barriers in their daily lives, it becomes harder to build and maintain the relationships that help us be connected and supported.
“A society where people cannot participate fully in social life is a society where belonging becomes harder to sustain.”
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