Thousands Of ‘Followers’ & ‘Likes’, But 30% Millennials Have No Best Friends, Reveals Survey

Millennials. Falling in the age group of 23-38 years, we do most things online. We study, learn new things, work and even look for potential partners using our laptops or smartphones. We are extremely tech-savvy, social media-obsessed and a career-oriented generation that wants instant gratification.

But a recent study confirms that we’re also the loneliest generation when compared to Gen X and Baby Boomers.

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The survey was undertaken by market research firm YouGov. They reported that it was filled out by 1254 respondents (US residents over the age of 18) online between July 3 – 5, 2019. And here are the findings.

30% of Millennials often or always feel lonely.

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Some of these statistics are deeply concerning. 22% of Millennials have ZERO friends and a whopping 30% have no best friend. But the silver lining is that 49% said they had 1-4 close friends and 19% claimed to have over 50 acquaintances.

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When the survey tried to pry further and determine why the generation wasn’t making new friends, 53% cited shyness as the primary reason, 20% said it required too much effort and 14% attributed it to lack of free time. But several experts claim that social media is also a big factor.

New York Post quotes Melissa Hunt (author of a study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology) saying,

“Here’s the bottom line: Using less social media than you normally would leads to significant decreases in both depression and loneliness.”

Now, what do you say guys, time for a digital detox? Let’s log out, go offline and meet some new people IRL!

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