Red Cross loneliness barometer: Youth loneliness at an alarming level – Finnish Red Cross calls for determined action

In Finland, 56% of people experience loneliness at least occasionally, shows the recent loneliness barometer of the Finnish Red Cross.

The situation is particularly alarming among young people and young adults, whose loneliness remains at a serious level. 47% of 15–24-year-olds in Finland say that they experience loneliness a few times a month or more often.

“We can’t let this situation among young people remain this serious year after year. What we need now is determined and rapid actions to reduce loneliness at all levels of society. We also need to seek solutions in collaboration with young people,” says Maaret Alaranta, an expert in anti-loneliness work at the Finnish Red Cross.

“For example, young people have proposed that mental health check-ups be included as part of school health check-ups, among other things. They would provide a good opportunity to bring up loneliness.”

What we need now is determined and rapid actions to reduce loneliness at all levels of society.

The 15–24-year-olds who responded to the annual barometer commissioned by the Finnish Red Cross from Taloustutkimus say that the most common reasons for their loneliness are shyness and nervousness about social situations.

“Unreasonable expectations placed on young people, such as a culture of success and appearance-related pressures, can easily lead to both exclusion and self-isolation. We must provide young people with sufficient support with building their self-esteem and self-knowledge. Social and emotional skills should be discussed at all school grades. Adults should also be more empathetic towards young people,” Alaranta emphasises.

Bullying is often a contributing factor to loneliness

According to the loneliness barometer, one in four 15–24-year-olds experience feelings of being excluded a few times a month or more often.

“Being excluded is a cruel form of bullying and is strongly linked to the experience of loneliness. Loneliness is sometimes forgotten in the debate on school bullying. Alleviating loneliness should be understood as part of reducing bullying at school,” Alaranta says.

“We humans have a fundamental need to belong to a community. Being excluded causes pain in the same part of the brain as physical pain,” Alaranta points out.

Alleviating loneliness should be understood as part of reducing bullying at school.

The ability to step into another person's shoes is one of the key solutions to reduce loneliness and exclusion. Empathy education from early childhood is an important means of strengthening this ability.

The culture of coping alone makes it more difficult to seek help

Leena Suurpää, Director of Youth Shelters at the Finnish Red Cross, is concerned about the results of the loneliness barometer. Social relations are an important foundation for wellbeing and mental health, especially in youth.

Young people need support with building social relationships as well as safe environments where they are seen as they are. There is also inequality among young people. Not all young people have supportive relationships in their lives, and their own resources for establishing social relationships may be scarce.

“Every young person is entitled to have at least one safe adult in their life. A society where young people do not have safe adults around them is an inhumane society,” Suurpää emphasises.

The loneliness barometer shows that 79% of 15–24-year-olds who experience loneliness do not seek help with this problem. Suurpää has discovered through her work that some young people have internalised the culture of success and coping alone.

“Many young people feel that they must manage on their own, which makes them hesitate to seek help for themselves. Young people who experience loneliness have also said that they don’t fit into the narrow norms of society. These norms must be expanded and non-discriminatory support must be offered for all young people. Otherwise, loneliness won't decrease,” Suurpää says.

Every young person is entitled to have at least one safe adult in their life.

More resources and measures are needed to reduce loneliness in Finland. The national loneliness strategy under preparation is a good step in this direction.

“The difficult situation of young people won’t resolve itself, and efforts to reduce loneliness must be carried out at all levels of society. Reducing loneliness should, for example, be one of the basic tasks of all of those who work with young people – be it face to face or online.”

This was the third time that the Finnish Red Cross used a barometer to study loneliness, the causes of loneliness and its effects. The loneliness barometer was carried out by Taloustutkimus in January 2024. A total of 1,112 people responded to the barometer. The Finnish Red Cross uses these barometers to regularly monitor the loneliness situation in Finland.

FRC_Loneliness barometer_2024_report.pdf