Young, educated women are both highly connected and very lonely, study finds—here's why

A growing number of studies confirm what many are already seeing: Young people are lonely.

Nearly a quarter, 24% of 18-to-29-year-olds say they feel lonely or isolated from those around them all or most of the time, according to a January 2025 report from the Pew Research Center.

But for young people, that loneliness they’re feeling isn’t necessarily the result of not having friends.

A new study published in the scientific journal Plos One looked at people’s age in relation to both social wellbeing, how much companionship and friendship support they have, and social ill-being, their feeling of loneliness and disconnection.

Researchers found that one group experienced both “high levels of loneliness and high levels of connection,” says Jeffrey Hall, a professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas and a co-author of the study.