One in five Cleveland residents is 60 or older.
By the numbers
The loneliness epidemic
By 2030, that number will surpass one in four.
Today, more than 38% of Cleveland seniors live alone.
One in two adults in the U.S. reported experiencing loneliness before 2020 and the forced isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a 2022-23 survey of respondents around the world, 24% of the global population felt ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ lonely, and young people aged 19-29 reported higher loneliness than adults 65 and older.
A national sample of U.S. adults age 50–80 shows a lack of companionship, feelings of isolation (loneliness) and rates of social interactions were exacerbated during the pandemic and are improving in recent years, though not yet to pre-pandemic levels.
Felt a lack of companionship
Felt isolated from others
Had infrequent social interaction
2018
2020
2023
34%
41%
37%
27%
56%
34%
28%
46%
33%
2018
2020
2023
2018
2020
2023
Finding connection isn’t easy. Humans — both those who tend toward introversion and those who thrive in a crowd — need meaningful relationships to be both mentally and physically healthy.
The vicissitudes of life can make those connections hard to maintain and difficult to find for people of all ages, no matter how often they talk to others. But, mental health experts and those who have suffered from loneliness say, putting yourself out there to interact with people is a good start.
Sometimes even a small step can help you build toward more meaningful encounters in the future, says Dr. Beena Persaud, a psychologist at Cleveland Clinic Akron General. Engaging with strangers at a public place — say, a grocery store — can begin to erase emotional barriers that keep people apart.
And fighting the instinct to keep to yourself can start with your own interests, says Cassey Fye of NAMI of Greater Cleveland. Expressing yourself — through art or music or athletic activities — is a way to find meaning in a time of widespread loneliness.
Katie Munetz of Shaker Heights has found that self-expression through volunteer work.
“It really takes me out of myself and allows me to help other people in a way where the solution isn’t necessarily so easy,” she said. “I struggle with loneliness a lot less.”
Source: University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging
Note: Surveys were administered from June 2022 through February 2023, with approximately 1,000 participants over the age of 15. All percentages presented in this report are weighted based on information about the sample design in each country. Weighting ensures that the sample in each country is representative of the population over the age of 15. | Source: Gallup and Meta