Adults aged 45 and older are getting lonelier, survey shows

New research from AARP indicates that loneliness is affecting older Americans at a higher rate than in previous years, with 40% meeting the threshold for loneliness. The data shows that adults in their 40s and 50s are now among the most affected groups. Public health experts say the rise signals a growing challenge that remains largely underrecognized.

AARP’s 2025 survey collected responses from about 3,300 U.S. adults and found that actual loneliness measured through a 20-item scale climbed to 40% compared with 35% in both 2010 and 2018. Perceived loneliness, which reflects how often respondents say they feel lonely, remained closer to 33%. Researchers noted that this gap suggests many adults experience isolation even if they do not identify themselves as lonely.

The survey found that adults ages 45 to 49 reported the highest loneliness levels, with nearly half meeting the threshold. The findings show a shift from earlier patterns in which older seniors were more likely to report feeling isolated. AARP analysts reported that factors such as economic stress, workload, and changing household responsibilities may leave midlife adults with fewer opportunities for social connection.

Men reported loneliness at a slightly higher rate than women at 42% compared with 37%, reversing earlier surveys that showed similar rates between genders. Loneliness was also more common among adults with lower incomes, lower education levels, and those who were unemployed or not working. AARP senior research adviser Lona Choi Allum emphasized the importance of addressing these disparities, saying, “We need people to talk about it so there’s not this stigma associated with it.”

The survey results have particular implications for Asian American communities where mental health concerns are often stigmatized and rarely discussed within families. Asian Americans are three times less likely to seek mental health services than other Americans, a gap driven by cultural beliefs that frame emotional distress as personal weakness rather than a health issue. As clinical psychologist Yesel Yoon explained, “What we consider ‘mental health issues’ are described in very specific medical model language from a very Eurocentric lens,” making symptoms less recognizable to many Asian parents. This disconnect leaves many older Asian Americans at heightened risk of unaddressed isolation as they age.