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A 2024 poll by U.S. News says one in three American adults feel lonely at least once a week, and one in ten Americans feel lonely every day. Americans are reportedly lonely, and I’m sitting here in Michigan wondering? Are the fine residents of Michigan also feeling a little lonely lately?
Cheer up! We’ll dig into some solid numbers to say, it’s true Michigan’s loneliness problem has gotten worse over time, but pretty much the same as other people around the country.
One University of Michigan study took a nationwide survey of U.S. seniors to find: Fewer elderly Americans were lonely before the pandemic, and loneliness increased during the pandemic… …but feelings of isolation from other people were felt by older Americans has returned to an almost-normal level of 34%. That is, one in three older Americans feels isolated from other people.
Loneliness is commonly measured in terms of social isolation. According to the NIH National Library of Medicine, social isolation can be defined as the absence of social interactions, contacts, and relationships with family and friends, with neighbors.
I cannot claim a relationship to loneliness, but it’s a quick fact that since 2010, illicit drug use among older Americans has more than doubled from 3% to 7%. (Source: ACL Administration for Community Living, 2012.)
Michiganders are pretty much as lonely as the rest of America. According to surveys collected between 2023 and 2024 by Axios, 40% of Americans say they feel lonely at least sometimes, and 41% of Michiganders say they feel lonely at least sometimes.
Compared to far and yonder states like Alaska (45%) and Oregon (43%), Michiganders aren’t particularly lonely.
Loneliness is not the same thing as having a mental health condition, but I’d say loneliness makes maintaining good mental health that much more challenging.
14% of Michigan adults have a mental health condition, which is somewhat lower than the national average — 20% of American adults have a mental health condition. (Source: NAMI National Alliance on Mental Illness)
Similarly, a 2023 report by KFF indicates 29.9% of Michiganders suffer from anxiety or depression, which is slightly less than the national average of 32.3%. Depression and anxiety aren’t the same thing as loneliness, but both emotions are commonly coupled with withdrawal from human interaction, or the tendency to stay socially isolated.
Specific to Michigan, the Michigan Commission on Services to the Aging published a 2020 report on social isolation in Michigan.
The focus on loneliness and isolation research in the State of Michigan mostly pertains to aging adults, for whom access to companionship and human connection is more likely to come with challenges.
An older Michigander’s access to companionship and connection varies depending on where they live, what language they speak, which ethnic group they belong to, and also important factors such as — do they live alone?
