Can this be true? Study claims students are lonelier than pensioners

A do-gooder healthcare company has proven what we have long suspected — life is more empty and lonely for you than for your grandparents.

Pioneering research found the student age-group, between 18 and 24, is four times as likely to feel lonely “most of the time” than those over 70.

Today’s analysis, carried out for the health giant AXA PPP, suggests loneliness declines as people get older, so you’ll have to endure feeling alone until middle age.

The survey found 27 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds polled said they felt lonely “most of the time”, compared to just seven per cent of over-70s.

Just under a quarter of the 25 to 34 group said they were mostly lonely — which drops to 10 per cent when you’re in your mid-40s.

Director of psychological services at AXA PPP said: “It is concerning that over a quarter of 18 to 24-year-olds reported feeling lonely most of the time.

“This seems to be a pocket of loneliness within our population that escapes most people’s notice.”

He added: “We tend to imagine that young people enjoy the benefits of a well-connected, socially-networked world but this doesn’t mean they don’t have hidden issues.

“Between the ages of 18 and 24, people commonly experience a high number of transitional life events that can contribute to feelings of loneliness.

“Moving away from the family home, searching for work, beginning university or a new job, and starting a family are just some examples and it’s important to bear in mind that, although these are often positive changes, they can also be unsettling.”