Language selection

Search


Economic implications of the asocial society: a scoping review of loneliness among young adults across the life course

Archived information

Archived information is provided for reference, research or record-keeping purposes. It is not subject to Government of Canada web standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Contact us to request a format other than those available.

Printable version

About the project

Loneliness – the subjective experience of social isolation – is a pervasive social issue, negatively impacting individuals across the life course. Loneliness and its consequences have largely been studied in older populations. Yet, recent data indicate that loneliness is on the rise among young adults globally, including Canada. The economic consequences of loneliness among young adults are increasingly being recognized. In this scoping review, we asked what the existing research tells us about the economic impacts and dimensions of loneliness among young adults (15-35 years) in Canada and internationally.

This review assessed and synthesized the available evidence on the economic impacts of loneliness and interventions targeted to reduce loneliness in young adults, highlighting gaps and areas for future research. A systematic search was conducted for quantitative and qualitative evidence in peer-reviewed journals and grey literature published in English or French, between January 2012 and June 2022. The search was limited to literature that included direct and indirect effects of loneliness on economic outcome measures, as well as evidence on interventions designed to reduce loneliness among young people in Canada and other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Below are the main findings from 23 studies that met the inclusion criteria for our review.

Key findings

Few studies have examined the economic impact of loneliness among young adults aged 15-35 years.

Policy implications

Further information

Read the full report

Contact the researchers

Adebiyi Boco, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy, University of Lethbridge: adebiyi.boco@uleth.ca

Page details

From:

Date modified: