A Friend
in Need

We researched how peer support is playing an important part in helping young people tackle loneliness. 

What we found 

• 95% of young people feel lonely but only 35% feel confident talking about loneliness 
• 55% of young people say not having the money to take part in activities has a negative impact on how lonely they feel 
• 83% of young people have taken an action to help other young people they think may be lonely 
• 52% of young people who’ve felt lonely said a friend reaching out to them makes them feel better 

How we did it 

Methodology Unless otherwise stated, statistics used in this report refer to the Co-op Foundation/Opinium Lonely Not Alone survey August 2022. Fieldwork was completed by Opinium. Opinium surveyed a sample of 2,001 10 to 25-year-olds, representative of each age group (10 years, 11-12, 13-15, 16-18, 19-21, 22-25) living in the UK. Fieldwork was conducted between 29 July and 5 August 2022. For our survey, we used the national loneliness measure recommended by the Office for National Statistics. When we say ‘chronically lonely’ this means young people who answer ‘often/always’ to the question ‘How often do you feel lonely?’. Visit the ONS website for more information