VARIOUS NATIONAL MEDIA: BBC Loneliness Experiment

Press/Media: Research

Description

A nationwide survey led by The University of Manchester and BBC Radio 4 has found that 16-24 year olds experience loneliness more often and more intensely than any other age group.

Over 55,000 people took part in the BBC Loneliness Survey, which explored attitudes and personal experiences of the issue, making it the biggest survey of its kind. It was developed by academics at The University of Manchester, Brunel University London, and the University of Exeter, and supported by a grant from The Wellcome Collection .

Period1 Oct 2018

Media coverage

2

Media coverage

  • TitleBBC Breakfast
    Media name/outletBBC Breakfast
    Media typeTelevision
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date1/10/18
    DescriptionA nationwide survey led by The University of Manchester and BBC Radio 4 has found that 16-24 year olds experience loneliness more often and more intensely than any other age group.

    Over 55,000 people took part in the BBC Loneliness Survey, which explored attitudes and personal experiences of the issue, making it the biggest survey of its kind. It was developed by academics at The University of Manchester, Brunel University London, and the University of Exeter, and supported by a grant from The Wellcome Collection .
    URLhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0blpf95
    PersonsPamela Qualter
  • TitleToday Programme
    Media name/outletBBC Radio 4: Today
    Media typeRadio
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date1/10/18
    DescriptionA nationwide survey led by The University of Manchester and BBC Radio 4 has found that 16-24 year olds experience loneliness more often and more intensely than any other age group.

    Over 55,000 people took part in the BBC Loneliness Survey, which explored attitudes and personal experiences of the issue, making it the biggest survey of its kind. It was developed by academics at The University of Manchester, Brunel University London, and the University of Exeter, and supported by a grant from The Wellcome Collection .
    URLhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/play/b0blgjg9
    PersonsPamela Qualter

Media contributions

4

Media contributions

  • TitleLoneliness is felt most intensely by young people, study finds (and turning to Facebook doesn't help)
    Media name/outletThe Telegraph
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date1/10/18
    DescriptionHowever, Professor Pam Qualter from the University of Manchester, which helped compile the research, said the fact that young people were reporting more intense feelings of loneliness could indicate that the issue is in fact one of learning to cope.

    “You might not know at that age that you’re going to overcome this,” she said. "Throughout the life course, you begin to realise loneliness is a feeling that doesn’t last forever. Younger people experience loneliness more intensely because it might be the first time they’ve experienced it at all.”
    URLhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/10/01/loneliness-felt-intensely-young-people-study-finds-turning-facebook/
    PersonsPamela Qualter
  • TitleFacebook generation feel all alone
    Media name/outletThe Times
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date1/10/18
    DescriptionThe new survey, designed by Manchester, Brunel and Exeter universities for the BBC, found higher rates of loneliness among the young. It said that 40 per cent of people aged 16 to 24 reported feeling lonely, compared with 29 per cent of those aged 65 to 74 and 27 per cent of people over 75.
    URLhttps://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/facebook-generation-feel-all-alone-qdnmjv232
    PersonsPamela Qualter
  • TitleThe lonely generation: Young people hooked on social media are more likely to feel isolated than elderly, survey finds
    Media name/outletMail Online
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date1/10/18
    DescriptionPamela Qualter, professor of psychology at the University of Manchester, who led the latest study, said: 'The response to the BBC Loneliness Experiment has been significant. People have provided valuable insights into when and how loneliness is experienced, how it relates to age, being alone, caring responsibilities, employability and discrimination.

    'For me, the most interesting findings relate to the stigma of loneliness and the varied solutions people had to overcome loneliness. Those findings suggest we need to be kinder to ourselves when we feel disconnected from others, but also that there is a whole toolkit of potential solutions that we can try.'
    URLhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6225415/Young-people-hooked-social-media-likely-feel-isolated-elderly-survey-finds.html
    PersonsPamela Qualter
  • Title16-24 Year Olds Most Likely To Be Lonely, New BBC Study Finds
    Media name/outletHuffington Post
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date1/10/18
    DescriptionPamela Qualter, Professor of Psychology at the University of Manchester, who led the study, said: “The response to the BBC Loneliness Experiment has been significant.

    “People have provided valuable insights into when and how loneliness is experienced, how it relates to age, being alone, caring responsibilities, employability, and discrimination.

    “For me, the most interesting findings relate to the stigma of loneliness and the varied solutions people had to overcome loneliness.
    “Those findings suggest that we need to be kinder to ourselves when we feel disconnected from others, but also that there is a whole toolkit of potential solutions that we can try.”
    URLhttps://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/loneliness-study-bbc_uk_5bae4e12e4b0b4d308d29dd4?g2c&utm_hp_ref=uk-homepage
    PersonsPamela Qualter

Keywords

  • loneliness
  • social media
  • mental health