AARP Survey: 40 Percent of Older Adults Are Lonely

Do you know if you’re lonely?

Choi-Allum says the loneliness survey asked respondents about how lonely or socially isolated they felt in two different ways: by asking about their perceived loneliness and then measuring their actual loneliness using a 20-question tool.

“We didn’t define loneliness for people, but we asked how often do you feel lonely or isolated from those around you,” Choi-Allum says. “This question is more about perceived loneliness. Thirty-three percent either answered always or sometimes.”

The respondents also filled out the UCLA Loneliness Scale, a 20-question tool that asks more oblique questions about how frequently a person feels socially connected or isolated.

“The UCLA Loneliness Scale gives us a measurement that we see as actual loneliness,” Choi-Allum says. “And based on that measure, 40 percent of respondents were found to be lonely, versus 33 percent who perceived loneliness.”

This discrepancy suggests that a significant number of lonely adults may not even realize that they don’t have enough social connections, that they’re feeling lonely, or that reaching out to friends or working to build new relationships may help them feel better.

Technology’s connection paradox

The internet and social media have become ubiquitous in daily life, and AARP’s survey has borne this out. Among the respondents who have internet-enabled personal devices (such as smartphones or tablets), 53 percent agree that social media sites like Facebook or Instagram have helped them keep in touch with far-flung friends and family members whom they might have otherwise lost contact with.

AARP’s CEO, Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, recently wrote that the extensive array of online programming and community groups offered through AARP “creates a pathway to connection.”

However, just because social media enables this type of communication and connection doesn’t mean it helps lonely adults. Fifty-nine percent of survey respondents agree that communicating with others online, rather than in person, makes them feel lonelier.

Still, lonely adults are more likely to cope with their solitude by going online. Seventy-three percent surf the internet, and 58 percent scroll or post on social media instead of pursuing social strategies like meeting friends in person (49 percent) or going out with friends or family (41 percent).

The decision to engage in solitary online pursuits may reflect the relatively high barriers to in-person social connections. In 2010, 44 percent of adults regularly attended religious services, a repeated social activity that required no advance planning. But in 2025, only 36 percent of adults regularly attend services. Similarly, 44 percent of adults were volunteering regularly in 2010, compared with 34 percent now.

Lonely adults cite lack of confidence or motivation (36 percent) and fear of rejection (33 percent) as the biggest barriers keeping them from growing their social networks. It may feel easier to continue scrolling social media instead.

Loneliness is a national health problem

In the 15 years that have passed since the original survey, it’s become clear that loneliness is not just a social issue. We now know that a lack of strong ties and emotional connections can affect a person’s health.

Unfortunately, chronic health problems can create a loneliness-to-poor-health cycle, says Elena Portacolone, a professor of sociology at the Institute for Health & Aging at the University of California, San Francisco.

“There is strong evidence that living alone increases the likelihood of developing dementia,” she says. “But there is not really a strong institutional support in place, such as home health aides, that could support older adults living alone.”