“Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, I haven’t been able to make new connections or relationships. I have become more anxious and have panic attacks. I am also judging myself to what I see on social media more often, like everyone has moved on but me.” – 2022 survey respondent from New York

As part of our ongoing Roots Of Loneliness Project that outlines over 100 types of loneliness, we wanted to find out more about the ways that social distancing and shelter-in-place orders affected people’s feelings of loneliness during and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March, 2020, loneliness was on the rise and had already been labeled as its own “epidemic” of sorts.

But while one would imagine feelings of loneliness would be higher during the pandemic, we wanted to find out exactly to what extent.

To achieve this, we initially conducted an anonymous and independent survey in 2020 of 1,043 people to examine the specific ways that social distancing and shelter-in-place orders affected people’s feelings of loneliness during COVID-19.

In 2022, we conducted a second independent survey of 1,081 individuals to gauge how feelings of loneliness evolved two years into the pandemic.

What we found was extremely revelatory:

• Loneliness overall increased 181% (almost triple!) during the first year of the pandemic in 2020 compared to before it began, rising to 314.5% in 2022, more than two full years into the pandemic
• While men were lonelier before the pandemic, women’s loneliness increased more than men’s did and was higher overall in 2020 and 2022
• Millennials reported being more lonely before and during 2020, as well as in 2022, whereas Baby Boomers reported the least; But, Baby Boomers and Generation X saw the biggest increase during
• Millennials who live with children were almost as lonely during the pandemic as those who lived alone, and significantly more lonely than any other generation that also lived with children
• Remote contact (Zoom, FaceTime, etc.) alleviated loneliness the most in those belonging to the Baby Boomer generation
• Of the total number of respondents who took our survey, only 6.5% said that nothing about social distancing was hard for them
• We also discovered what people were missing out on the most at the start of the pandemic, activities they resumed engaging in as of 2022, and the way current safety measures continue to affect feelings of loneliness

In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at all of the results from our 2020 survey – as well as the 2022 survey – comparing loneliness before and during COVID-19 broken down by everything from gender, to generation, to living arrangements.

We’ll also explore whether or not remote contact helped feelings of isolation and quarantine loneliness, as well as what activities people reported missing the most, and the hardest part of sheltering-in-place as it relates to feelings of loneliness.

In addition, many of our survey respondents chose to anonymously share powerful, and sometimes heartbreaking, pieces of their own stories with us along the way which we’ve also included.

*Editor’s note: The data audit for the results of the 2022 COVID-19 Loneliness Survey was performed by Elyse Rubio, LCSW, PMH-C, a member of our medical review board.

How Safety Measures During COVID-19 Affected Feelings Of Loneliness

[Infographic] How COVID-19 Affected Loneliness

For a quick yet comprehensive visual exploration of how COVID-19 affected feelings of loneliness before and during social distancing and shelter-in-place orders — broken down by gender, generation and other factors — we created an infographic that summarizes our findings.

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<p><strong>Please include attribution to “The Roots Of Loneliness Project“ with this graphic.</strong></p><br /> <p><a href=’https://www.rootsofloneliness.com/covid-19-loneliness-survey’><img src=’https://www.rootsofloneliness.com/wp-content/uploads/2022-covid-19-loneliness-survey-infographic.jpg’ alt=” width=’1024′ border=’0′ /></a></p>

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How Did Loneliness Affect People Before And During The COVID-19 Pandemic?

Loneliness Before And During COVID-19: Overall

Key Takeaways:

• Overall, loneliness in the general population increased 181% as a result of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders at the start of COVID-19, further increasing to 314.5% as of 2022, compared to before the pandemic began.
• Loneliness also increased during the pandemic even in those who did not feel lonely before the pandemic began.
• Although feelings of loneliness among the general population have only continued to increase throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and into 2022, the reasons behind those feelings may have shifted as lockdowns were lifted but other precautions remained over a much longer period of time.

What People Said:

• “Whenever I go out, it feels like I’m in a horror movie, I need to protect myself, shop quick, and get home and wipe everything down. It’s just emotionally draining sometimes.” — 2020

• “To be honest, the isolation was nice at first. I had time to focus on other things, like projects and saving money. But it’s gotten old, taken a toll.” — 2022

• “I feel less lonely because more people are doing the same thing I am, and are experiencing what it is like to be isolated when I have been mostly isolated for longer than they have.” — 2020

• “I struggled with how it felt so wrong and completely against human nature, almost a crime, to separate people from their loved ones. Human connection is incredibly important to me and the feeling of this being out of our control and imposed upon us, was the worst thing about it.” — 2022

• “I do feel like this new normal will be here to stay for a long time. Many people are going to need help — financially, psychologically, and otherwise. I’m afraid of the social effects this will have on the harder-hit areas.” — 2020

Loneliness Before And During COVID-19: By Generation

Key Takeaways:

• Overall, loneliness among Millennials increased 154% as a result of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders in 2020, further increasing 190% as of 2022.
• Millennials also experienced the greatest amounts of loneliness before, during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) and two years into it (2022).
• Loneliness increased the most in Generation X (+222% in 2020 and +309% in 2022) and Baby Boomers (+224% in 2020 and +331% in 2022), as a result of social distancing, shelter-in-place orders, and general safety precautions.

What People Said:

• “While not much has technically changed, and I was lonely before, it feels differently now. Although in a way it’s a relief to know I’m not the only one lonely.” — 2020

• “I can see a clear difference in my ability to socialize before vs. after the height of the pandemic. Even if I am now able to do most of the things I couldn’t do during that time, the extended period of time in isolation from people my age has made it very hard for me to connect with others now. I feel like I’m missing something that I had before March 2020 and I don’t know how to get it back.” — 2022

• “I feel stressed, anxious, and nervous all the time which makes me feel like I’m halfway to a minor to moderate panic attack almost every day, which is by far the worst part.” — 2020

• “I’ve gotten used to being in my house a lot, and I’ve been less eager to pursue anything that involves me being outside of my house or far from my home for a long period of time.” — 2022

Loneliness Before And During COVID-19 By Gender And Generation: Women

Key Takeaways:

• Overall, loneliness in women increased 228% as a result of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders in 2020, increasing 413% in 2022.
• While women were less lonely than men before the pandemic (18.4% women vs. 22.4% men), they reported feeling MORE lonely than men during the pandemic (60.6% women vs. 55% men).
• Millennial women — both before (22.2%) and during (69.3%) — continue to be lonelier than any other generation of women. That has not changed two years later. In fact, loneliness continues to be highest among Millennial women with 92.5% struggling with loneliness at least some of the time.
• Loneliness in Millennial women increased 213% while loneliness in women belonging to Generation X rose a staggering 340% during the start of the pandemic.
• In 2020, Baby Boomer women had it the “easiest” in comparison, with their loneliness increasing 180% — about the average of the overall population.
• By 2022, all generations of women reported a dramatic increase in loneliness.

What People Said:

• “My husband of 42 years died in the fall and that has made this so much harder.” — 2020

• “I self isolate, but prepandemic I at least socialized at work. Remote contact with people doesn’t feel real, or rather I don’t get the benefits from it that I do with in person, but the stresses are still there.” — 2022

• “I struggle with the ball of dread in my stomach especially knowing this will be months if not years of reduced contact with family and friends.” — 2020

• “I really enjoyed being able to lock myself alone at home because I work in healthcare and was otherwise still working in person completely throughout the pandemic. I needed the space and break from the chaos of pandemic medicine” — 2022

Loneliness Before And During COVID-19 By Gender And Generation: Men

Key Takeaways:

• Overall, loneliness in men increased 146% at the beginning of the pandemic as a result of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders, rising 253% in 2022, more than two years into the pandemic.
• While men were more lonely than women before the pandemic (22.4% men vs. 18.4% women), they reported feeling LESS lonely than women during the start of the pandemic (55% men vs. 60.6% women).
• By 2022, loneliness increased among all generations of men, however women still reported more loneliness than men (79.1% men vs. 90.7% women).
• Millennial men — both before (25.3%), in 2020 (56.5%), and by 2022 (81.1%) — continue to be lonelier than any other generation of men.
• Loneliness in Millennial men increased 123% in 2020, while loneliness in men belonging to Generation X increased 130%.
• While Baby Boomer men saw the largest increase in loneliness in 2020 (+371%), their OVERALL levels of loneliness (9.9% before vs. 46.5% during the first year vs 71.6% by 2022) were still lower than all other gender/generation combinations during COVID-19. That continues to be true in 2022.

What People Said:

• “It’s been frustrating not being able to live a normal life. I feel sad and depressed. I am turning into a different person. I cannot grow in this environment.” — 2020

• “I have not yet recovered from it. [The] pandemic made me a socially awkward kind of person so I started keeping things to myself, but that just increased my loneliness and sadness with the confusion of what my future would bring.” — 2022

• “Being that I already worked from home and am an introvert, I thought this would be easy but it’s been so, so hard. I really, really need a hug.” – 2020

• “Truly I experienced a peace of body and soul from the absence of people encroachment on my personal space. Basically the joy of being left alone.” — 2022

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How Did COVID-19 Safety Measures Affect Feelings Of Loneliness For Those Living Alone Vs. Living With Others?

Loneliness Before And During COVID-19 In People Who Live Alone

Key Takeaways:

• Overall, loneliness in those who lived alone increased 134% as a result of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders during the first year of the pandemic.
• Generation X respondents that lived alone struggled with loneliness more than any other generation before the pandemic.
• During the start of the pandemic, Millennials who lived alone were more lonely than any other generation who also live alone (71.9% vs. 67.7% Gen X vs. 57.8% Boomers) AND more lonely than any other living arrangement (i.e. those who live with others or children).
• While Baby Boomers who lived alone saw the largest increase in loneliness (+164%) as a result of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders in 2020, their OVERALL levels of loneliness (57.8%) were still lower by a significant margin than all other generations during the first year of COVID-19.
• By 2022, all generations reported an increase in feelings of loneliness from the start of the pandemic. Baby Boomers – who were the most likely to live alone (53.4%) saw the smallest increase in loneliness from 2020 (57.8%) to 2022 (62.1%).

What People Said:

• “I live alone, but I used to always see my niece and nephew, and it makes me sad that I cannot see them as much anymore.” — 2020

• “I also separated from my spouse and moved from the family home during the pandemic and it was really rough having no one to really talk to and to live in a new neighbourhood where I knew nobody.” — 2022

• “I began living alone at the start of this so it’s all been compounded. I also had trips planned to see friends and family who I had not seen in a while and a vacation as a means of rest and rejuvenation and it was all canceled.” — 2020
• “A couple of friends and I joke that we were made for the pandemic… We’re homebodies; work from home, do most shopping online, and don’t do a lot of public socializing. But for me, before more people were vaccinated and restrictions lifted a bit, the isolation would creep in sometimes because I’m single. I have to admit I missed certain physical contact; going for a drink with a friend; going to the movies, particularly with my nephews; and just being able to hang out with family at cookouts, movie nights, and weekend breakfasts.” — 2022

Loneliness Before And During COVID-19 In People Who Live With Others (No Children)

Key Takeaways:

• Overall, loneliness in those who lived with others (no children) increased 183% in the first year of the pandemic as a result of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders.
• Millennials living with others (no children) were the LEAST lonely overall during the start of the pandemic.
• This was the ONLY category surveyed where Millennials were LESS lonely overall than both their cohorts in 2020. By 2022, that was no longer the case with a 10.9% increase in loneliness reported among Millennials (49.1% in 2020 vs 60% in 2022)
• Loneliness increased the most in Generation X (+300%) and Baby Boomer (+425%) respondents who live with others (no children) compared to Millennials (+113%) during the start of the pandemic.
• By 2022, Baby Boomers actually reported less loneliness with a 2.6% decrease in loneliness when compared to 2020 (54.5% in 2020 vs 51.9% in 2022).

What People Said:

• “I live with my wife who is a thoroughly excellent social distancing partner. In these difficult times, our schedule is almost completely empty except for work so we try to fit in daily exercise together, daily board games together, daily home-cooked dinner together, and at least one daily episode of a show we can enjoy together. If not for the risk of getting the disease, we would be fine.” — 2020

• “Carer for immunocompromised. Community “living with covid” terrible for us. We can’t just live with something that’s fatal for my partner.” — 2022

• “I’m chronically ill. Before this, I was living alone and struggling. Now I live with family so I am a lot less lonely and feel more connected since I can see my friends online rather than not at all. I feel like everyone is on my speed. It is strange, but welcomed.” — 2020

• “I was already very introverted, so isolating with my family suited me for a long time, but it suddenly became very difficult when I entered college and I had to juggle half online and half in-person lectures, I became scared of socializing in case I contracted COVID so I felt very isolated and disconnected from others.” — 2022

Loneliness Before And During COVID-19 In People Who Live With Children

Key Takeaways:

• Before the COVID-19 pandemic, only 16.7% of those living with children said they struggled with feelings of loneliness, which increased to 55% after the pandemic began. Two years into the pandemic, 60.5% of survey respondents who live with children said they have felt more lonely since the beginning of the pandemic.
• In 2020, loneliness in people who lived with children increased 229% overall as a result of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders in 2020. That increase, however, was largely skewed by Millennials (+228%) and Generation X (+295%).
• In 2020, Millennials who lived with children were almost as lonely during the pandemic (68.6%) as those who live alone (71.9%), and significantly higher than any other generation.
• Surprisingly, by 2022, Millennials who lived with children saw a decrease in loneliness by 1.9% (68.6% in 2020 vs 66.7% in 2022). This may not be a drastic difference but it’s a rare instance for Millennials where loneliness did not increase.
• Millennials who lived with children also felt lonelier at a rate more than double that of Baby Boomers during the start of the pandemic.
• Baby Boomers who lived with children had the “easiest” time dealing with their loneliness in 202 with an increase of only 114% during the pandemic, and lower overall loneliness by a significant margin than any other generation.
• However, by 2022, Baby Boomers living with children saw the largest increase in loneliness (growing 20.4% between 2020 and 2022). In 2020, 34.1% felt lonely and by 2022, 54.5% reported feeling lonely. Baby Boomers were also the group least likely to live with children (13.5%).

What People Said:

• “Being a mother, teacher, cook, entertainer, etc. 24-7 takes a toll.” — 2020

• “The combination of being a stay at home mother and the pandemic has increased feelings of loneliness.” — 2022

• “It is difficult for me to try and explain to my children that they cannot see friends and family or do things with them. We had to cancel a vacation, birthday party, and other family events because of this. It has been hard on everyone.” — 2020

• “Masks negatively impacted kids as did home schooling. Working from home saved my hope for humanity.” — 2022

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How Did Remote Contact During COVID-19 Affect Feelings Of Loneliness?

Key Takeaways:

• In 2020, remote contact alleviated loneliness the most in those belonging to the Baby Boomer generation.
• At the start of the pandemic, Millennials reported that remote contact made their loneliness worse at a much higher rate than any other generation.
• By 2022, all generations reported more loneliness as a result of remote contact and fewer people reported remote contact as alleviating their loneliness at all.
• By 2022, there was an 88.2% increase in people who felt more lonely due to remote contact with others during vs. after the pandemic. 
• There was a 21% decrease in people who felt less lonely due to remote contact with others during vs. after the pandemic. 
• In 2022, Millennials and Gen X were tied in feeling more lonely due to remote contact with others (32.1%), whereas fewer Baby Boomers felt more lonely due to remote contact (19.6%). 
• Millennials had the highest rate of people who felt that remote contact with others helped alleviate their loneliness (39.2%), while 34.7% of Generation X and 34.4% of Baby Boomers felt that way by 2022. 
• By 2022, Baby Boomers were the most neutral toward remote contact with others and did not feel it made them more or less lonely (46%), followed by 33.2% of Generation X and 28.7% of Millennials.

What People Said:

• “My group of friends has made an extra effort to call, text, and video chat often during this period. It helps us to support each other and feel less lonely.” — 2020

• “It kind of sucks to be alone, but virtual contact with others makes it just a little bit easier.” — 2022

• “I am actually contacting certain out of town people more often than before, but am talking to my in-town colleagues and friends much less.” — 2020

• “Worse than loneliness, I feel isolated… I feel separated from people. A flat screen [doesn’t] help much.” — 2022

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What Was The Hardest Part About Social Distancing And Sheltering-In-Place During COVID-19?

Key Takeaways:

• Of the total number of respondents who took part in our 2020 survey, only 6.5% said that nothing about social distancing was hard for them. Two years into the pandemic, however, 9.7% of respondents said the same.
• By far, the inability to see friends and family was the hardest part of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders in 2020, according to nearly half of all survey respondents. Two years into the pandemic, 24.7% said that it continues to be the hardest part.
• At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 8.1% of survey respondents said that working from home was one of the hardest parts of social distancing. Two years into the pandemic, 12.6% of respondents said that working from home is one of the hardest parts of the pandemic as it relates to their personal feelings of loneliness.

What People Said:

• “My dad and mother-in-law both have terminal cancer and not being able to spend time with them (they live out-of-state) is heartbreaking. It’s time we can’t get back.”

• “I really miss the human connection and my old routine.”

• “I think the lack of escape has been one of the hardest parts, I feel like I am trapped in a prison cell at times.”

• “Mainly just having to stress more about everything I try to do. For example, when I’m shopping for stuff or trying to get legal paperwork squared away, it causes way more stress than seems reasonable.”

• “I’m worried that my family members will pass from the virus and I won’t even be able to see them.”

• “My wife and I have not been able to see our two grown sons for about two months. That [has] probably been the worst thing about the isolation for us.”

• “I am a person that spends a lot of time with family and close friends. So not being able to be with them has been very hard.”

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What Were The Activities People Missed Most During Social Distancing And Sheltering-In-Place During COVID-19?

Key Takeaways:

• At the start of the pandemic, nearly 60% of all survey respondents said that they missed being with friends and family who don’t live with them. Two years into the pandemic, 34.7% have resumed doing so.
• In 2020, nearly half of survey respondents missed having the opportunity to dine out in restaurants. Two years into the pandemic, 30.2% have resumed dining out.
• At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 26.4% of respondents had cited that they missed going to their place of work when shelter-in-place and social distancing measures were in place. Two years into the pandemic, 31.3% of survey respondents cited that they have returned to their in-office work environments.
• Although only 5.8% responded that they missed attending school or college classes on campus at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, two years into the pandemic, 18.9% of respondents said they have returned to attending school or college classes on campus.

What People Said:

• “I could have checked all of [these] boxes — it feels like a huge grief cycle that we all are in and at different places.”

• “This is the first time in my life that I have been bored.”

• “I have three grown children and ten grandchildren who live in close proximity to me. I have spent much of my time for years doing activities with them all. The isolation imposed by this virus is getting old, and I am very much looking forward to the time when we will have close contact again.”

• “Not being able to do the things I do to help me feel good about myself such as hair and nails has not helped with my anxiety and not knowing when I will be able to go back to my routine has raised my anxiety exponentially.”

• “I love movies more than anything and not being able to go to the theater and seeing so many movies get pushed back or sent to VOD (video on demand) makes me sadder than hell.”

• “I miss having things to look forward to the most.”

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How COVID-19 Safety Measures Affected Feelings of Loneliness In 2022

Key Takeaways:

• As of 2022, more people felt more lonely or disconnected from others often (41%) since experiencing social distancing, shelter-in-place, or other safety measures (like mask-wearing) than those who felt more lonely only sometimes (36.8%), but fewer people still feel lonely or disconnected from others based on safety measures (22.2%).
• Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers often felt more lonely or disconnected from others based on safety measures at roughly the same rates–41.2%, 43.7%, and 41.1%, respectively.
• A larger percentage of Millennials (40.6%) sometimes felt more lonely or disconnected from others based on safety measures than Generation X (37.5%) or Baby Boomers (25.8%).
• Baby Boomers (33.1%) were much more likely to still feel more lonely or disconnected from others based on safety measures by 2022 than Millennials (18.2%) or Generation X (18.8%).

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Safety Measures People Followed Two Years Into The Pandemic

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Survey Methodology

To examine the specific ways that shelter-in-place and social distancing were affecting people’s loneliness and to what extent during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Roots Of Loneliness Project independently, anonymously, and informally surveyed 1,043 people about their experiences between April 22, 2020, and May 14th, 2020 and conducted an additional survey of 1,081 people between March 5, 2022 and September 3, 2022.

Survey results were medically reviewed and audited for accuracy by Dr. Christie Hartman, Ph.D., Psychology (2020 survey), and Elyse Rubio, LCSW, PMH-C (2022 survey), who sit on our medical review board.

• For the purpose of gathering quantifiable statistics on loneliness before the pandemic, only respondents who specifically stated “yes” when asked if they struggled with loneliness before the pandemic were measured as the baseline of loneliness prior to the pandemic.
• Survey responses were gathered online through public outreach that included: our website, our in-house email list and push notifications, social media posts (with paid boosts), non-paid influencer promotion, and paid survey respondents.
• Paid respondents comprised 38.3% of responses, all other channels comprised 61.7% of responses.
• This survey was not funded by, or written for, any outside entity or affiliate.
• Complete survey statistics and audited data are available upon request.

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In Conclusion

While we are all living through this extraordinarily unique time together, we’re doing so from a “healthy” distance that seems to be having a deeply negative impact on our mental health and feelings of loneliness.

As social distancing mandates (if not shelter-in-place orders) remain in effect for much of the country for the foreseeable future, businesses are slowly opening up and life is making a slow pivot toward “normalcy” — at least to a degree.

No one knows what the future holds. If anything, the human ability to adapt, to find light in the darkness, and to persevere in the face of great strife is what will ultimately see us through this trying period.

“It just seems like the pandemic will never end,” one survey respondent observed.

“It’s an interesting connection to those who lived 100 years ago [during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1920], and it also emphasizes how important human contact actually is.”

Perhaps equally significant, it emphasizes the things that are truly most important to us in general.

After all, you can’t really miss something until it’s gone.

Although the minutiae of our individual narratives may differ in a thousand little ways, the broader themes that weave our stories together are strikingly similar to one another.

From the past to the present and beyond, we’re far more connected to one another than we realize.