Lonely Not Alone

Starting a national conversation that breaks down the stigma of youth loneliness is our third Belong aim.

Lonely Not Alone is back for its third year in 2021.  

We want to help young people feel more confident talking about loneliness to help improve their mental wellbeing. Our campaign is helping to deliver on Co-op’s vision of Co-operating for a Fairer World. 

This year, we’re encouraging young people to visit a digital universe where they can share the one small step they’ve taken to tackle loneliness. Every story will be added as a star in a constellation of shared experiences. 

Read why our young co-designers chose this as their 2021 experience. 

Our latest research shows why this matters: 

• 15% of 10 to 25-year-olds are chronically lonely. That’s 1.9m young people who are lonely often or always – 400,000 more than a year ago 
• 85% of chronically lonely young people say loneliness negatively impacts on their mental wellbeing 
• 71% of chronically lonely young people say loneliness means they are less able to perform well in school or work. 
• Seven out of 10 young people (67%) say seeing people talk about loneliness would help them to understand other people’s feelings and experiences. 

Get involved in Lonely Not Alone: 

• If you’re aged 25 or under, visit our website to read and share stories of the one small step young people have taken to beat loneliness. 
• If you’re aged over 25, share our experience in your networks or promote us on social media using suggested messages and assets. If you run a youth project, download our youth work pack to help you speak to young people. 

One small step is a giant leap forward for tackling youth loneliness. 

The universe goes on forever. Loneliness doesn’t have to. 

Our partners

Thank you to all the young people who gave up their time and shared their experiences of loneliness to create ‘Lonely Not Alone’.

Thank you also to our creative co-designers, Effervescent.