Loneliness figures remain unchanged since pandemic
By Keir Roberts
There has been no improvement in the level of loneliness across the UK since the pandemic according to a study from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
At the start of the pandemic in March 2020, 23% of people reported feeling lonely always, often or some of the time.
Jumping forward to now 25% of respondents who answered between January and February of 2025 reported feeling lonely.
It even shot up to as much as 29% at the end of 2024.
There is a stark trend of people struggling with all too familiar feelings such as anxiety, isolation and depression since the beginning of lockdown 5 years ago.
Whilst anxiety levels amongst the population have fell since March 2020 when they were at a staggering 50%, they still remain at a worrying 30%.
With mental health forever at the forefront of national conversation it is clear that there are many across the country struggling to feel themselves.
The amount of people feeling low levels of life satisfaction has actually gone up to 9%, a one per cent rise since March 2020.
More and more young people are turning to their friends to help support them but sometimes social situations can be daunting.
Local musician Max Corbett, who is very vocal on mental health issues said: “I tend to find that while social events can sometimes help with my mental well-being, they also, depending on the severity of one of my ‘bad days’ can exacerbate the problems much further.
“I tend to draw inward when I’m upset or sad and sometimes being in social settings can make those issues worse as my social battery drains pretty quickly.
“However, for the most part, social situations make me able to forget about the things that make me upset and focus on the now and allow me to be present.”
A study from the University of Oxford in 2023 found that the pandemic was a massive detriment to the mental health of young people as many lost their routines and ability to socialise.
Corbett echoes this and feels the pandemic took away a part of himself that he is unable to get back.
“I think for myself and my generation COVID was a blue touch paper moment for pre-lockdown mental health problems, and I think personally it did irreversible damage to my brain chemistry as isolation has always been a deep personal fear of mine.
“It is obviously good being able to see people again, and that allows for more people to be supported, but the cracks are still there.”
His comments come as Sunday marks the COVID day of remembrance, 5 years on from the introduction of the first lockdown.
The ONS survey did find some positive results however.
The amount of people reporting low levels of happiness has decreased from 21% to 18% since 2020.
There has also been a slight drop in stress levels of workers in the UK over the last 5 years.
In a survey conducted by the Standard, respondents named the methods they use to tackle loneliness.
Exercising came out on top with participants naming activities such as walking and cycling as helpful to mental wellbeing.
