~ [[Efforts]] *Young people and loneliness: What are the drivers of youth loneliness and how can we address it?* *8th of February 2024* ## Briefing Chair: - Shaun Friel, Director (Childline) Panellists: - Ed Moloney, CEO (University of Salford Students’ Union) - Molly Taylor, Founder (Alone No More) - Kayleigh Wainwright, Director of Youth Sector Innovation (UK Youth) - Lily Verity, Post Doctorial Research Assistant (University of Manchester) Each panellist will be asked to present in relation to the Background Information outlined below, and will have up to ==**6 minutes** to present==. Slides are not a requirement, but you are welcome to share slides / documents during your presentation. There will be ==10 minutes for the Chair and panellists to respond== and ask questions in response to themes arising from all presentations, as well as 10 minutes for the Chair to take questions from the audience - What are the key factors that explain the high prevalence of loneliness among young people? (Anything in addition to what has been discussed) - What part do education institutions - schools, colleges and universities -  have to play in addressing youth loneliness? - Does social media help or hinder the situation? >[!AI Summary]+ >Based on your notes, the drivers of youth loneliness, particularly among students, can be attributed to several factors: >1. ==Unmet social expectations==, which can be exacerbated by ==social media==. Friendships take time to develop and students may not immediately find their close friends. >2. ==Transition arrangements== into university. Some students may have moved away from their communities, friends, and families, causing feelings of isolation. >3. The impact of ==Covid-19== and its longer-term effects on anxiety and mental health. >4. ==Misconceptions about opportunities==, such as the belief that sports teams are only for high-performing athletes >5. Students may feel that they are a burden on others, leading to reluctance in seeking social interactions. >6. Students may ==prioritize learning== over making friends, when in fact, social interactions can enhance learning. >7. Anxiety and mental health issues can also contribute to feelings of loneliness >8. Course demands, particularly in certain schools or programs, may leave little time for socializing. >9. For postgraduate research students, a lack of community, constant pressure to perform, and poor supervisor relationships can lead to feelings of isolation >10. Cultural issues, such as viewing colleagues as competition rather than support, can also contribute to feelings of loneliness. >11. Insecurity, both personal and interpersonal, might cause students to behave in ways that push others away or to pull away from others, for fear of being rejected >12. Disconnection, often equated with social rejection, social exclusion, and/or social isolation, shares the same neural pathways with feelings of physical pain, leading to a sense of loneliness. >13. Lack of belonging or fitting in can also contribute to feelings of loneliness. ==Students may feel they need to betray themselves to fit in==, leading to a lack of authentic connection. >14. Finally, students who are not doing well academically, have low life satisfaction, or are concerned about their future career prospects may also experience feelings of loneliness. ## Important Notes - [[Why are students lonely?]] - [[Disconnection]] - [[Loneliness in Students]] ## My Response to "What are the drivers of loneliness and how can we address it" - Loneliness is not an individual failure but the failure of society. - Students are some of the loneliest young people. And it looks like it's getting worse. - Drivers of youth loneliness: - Unmet expectations in transitions, and the transitions themselves. Quite traumatic. - Commuters - Residential. 8% of residential students say they have no friends. - International students. 20% say "don't have friends at University" - Move between years is also a transition- 44% of students in first year feel lonely either daily or weekly. Second years that's 40%, third years 35% - Exploring many aspects of their identities at this age - We talk about the 3 different definitions of loneliness- social, emotional and existential. All three aspects are keenly felt by students. - Minority groups, like in broader society, also face the same issues - Disabled students twice as likely to feel lonely - Women and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds lower too. - The educational process - PGR students are more likely to be isolated, but as are those who study 'non traditional' courses such as apprenticeships or foundation degrees. - By it's nature it can be a solitary endeavour - International students are pressured to do well, given the investment they're making and the desire to get a job in the UK - Wonkhe have done work to suggest that assessment fairness also relates to sense of belonging- they are correlated in the National Student Survey. See [[Link between belonging and marking and assessment]] - Culture wars - Young people want to feel that they belong, that they have a sense of shared humanity without losing their authenticity, power or freedom. - They feel that the things that bind people together at the moment are shared fear and distain, not shared trust, respect or love. - This permeates campuses- for example the new [[Source - Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 by legislation.gov.uk]] means that all speech is allowed on campus unless it is illegal, even if it is harmful. Lets remember that for many students universities are also their home. - Cost of Living crisis - Makes both [[Bridging and Bonding Social Capital]] more difficult. - Covid aftermath - Confidence and socialisation - Mental Health is poor regardless - All these issues combine into a downwards spiral that perpetuates - Learning is harder if you are lonely- this means more concern about the future/ pressures from parents - Spiral into depression and anxiety is well documented - How can we address it? - Note: We cannot put responsibility on individuals to connect- it is a societal issue. A community ill, not an individual ill. - Some correlation evidence to suggest that being more involved in extracurricular activities results in less loneliness. - No-one has done a full health impact assessment on this, as far as I am aware. - Specific interventions could include - Social prescribing - Peer support (social and academic) - Personalised check-ins - Automatic enrolment into academic societies. - Have to promote social connectedness and foster a climate of trust and connection - This also alleviates the stigma of loneliness. We also have to speak openly about loneliness ourselves. We can even build some of this into the curricula. - Measures to increase connectivity and also reduce academic stress are good, suggesting a peer support model. - Main thing is to support what they're already doing. Let's not try to create artificial communities- student led communities are more authentic and sustainable. - Analysis suggests that random assignment of students into a induction event in advance of the course starting can have significant impact on friendship creation. See [[How to Tackle Student Loneliness Before Term Starts]]