Millennials may seem to have what they want and need but there's one thing they say is lacking -- friends.
The polling firm YouGov found that three of 10 people from 23 to 38 years old say they are often lonely. The 30% of millennials polled as feeling lonely compares to 20% of Generation X and 15% of baby boomers feeling lonely, the survey found.
The survey polled 1,254 adults across the U.S. over the age of 18 from July 3 to 5.
The survey did not ask why they are lonely, only whether they were.
But a University of Pennsylvania study attributes decreased well-being to the use of social media. The study was published in December.
"Here's the bottom line: Using less social media than you normally would leads to significant decreases in both depression and loneliness," psychologist Melissa Hunt said, according to Science Daily.
Hunt's study found by limiting social media interaction to 30 minutes a day may make you feel better mentally.
Some millennials, more than half of participants in the YouGov poll, attribute the loneliness to being shy. Others say they don't need friends or that having friends is too much work. Some even say their current location doesn't have anyone they would want to be friends with.
The YouGov poll seems to back up earlier surveys that there could be an epidemic of loneliness as reported by Forbes in May.
Forbes cited a poll conducted in 2018 by The Economist and the Kaiser Family Foundation that said 22% of adults in the U.S. feel lonely most of the time. Forbes also said they lack companionship and felt left out.
There is a glimmer of hope and friendship in YouGov study as 42% of all of those polled said they've made a new friend in the past six months and 38% of millennials polled said they've made a new friend in that time period.
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