Even before the pandemic, loneliness has been an issue in America. Barna data on relationships as well as research among younger generations both in the U.S. and globally have highlighted how people have begun to feel isolated and disconnected.

Susan Mettes—behavioral scientist and researcher—partnered with Barna to learn about the causes of loneliness and how Christian communities can better minister to people experiencing loneliness. Today’s article shares data from Mettes’ new book, The Loneliness Epidemic (now available for purchase), exploring rates of loneliness both across the nation and within the Church.

Three in 10 Americans Report Feeling Lonely At Least Once Each Day How do researchers define loneliness? Mettes offers this explanation when sharing findings from The Loneliness Epidemic: “In [this] academic research, loneliness is the distress someone feels when their social connections don’t meet their need for emotional intimacy.” She continues, “It’s lack. It’s disappointment. It’s something we are conscious of, even when we don’t call it loneliness. Loneliness is a thirst that drives us to seek companionship—or, perhaps better, fellowship. Without fellowship, we go on needing others and seeking relief for that need.”

In The Loneliness Epidemic, Mettes compares data from winter 2020 (February to March) and spring 2020 (April to May), highlighting that, even before the pandemic, one-third of U.S. adults were reporting feeling lonely for at least some of each day. Zooming out a bit more, over half experienced loneliness at least once a week. The numbers don’t shift much between the winter and spring responses—overall, three in 10 Americans say they feel lonely at least once each day.

Loneliness doesn’t arrive alone; feelings of loneliness are often accompanied by varying levels of pain. For those U.S. adults who had experienced loneliness at least once with the past week, two in five (45% in winter 2020, 42% in spring 2020) said these feelings of loneliness ranged anywhere from intense to unbearable.