New research reveals 3 in 5 UK adults who have ever experienced loneliness have never opened up about it
To mark Loneliness Awareness Week (9th – 15th June 2025), Ipsos conducted a survey on behalf of the Marmalade Trust. The research revealed that, while 82% of UK adults admitted to personally experiencing loneliness, 61% of these adults who said they have experienced loneliness have never told anyone they feel lonely.
When asked about the main barriers that might prevent someone from talking about loneliness, 56% of all UK adults surveyed selected barriers that highlight feelings of internalised stigma – choosing answers including feeling embarrassed, feeling ashamed or fear of being judged as barriers.
The survey also showed that one of the ways in which people would prefer to talk about loneliness is in-person (58%). When asked what might encourage people to discuss their feelings of loneliness, having close friends, family, or colleagues initiate the conversation was the most-selected answer from the list presented (43%).
Technical note:
- On behalf of Marmalade Trust, Ipsos surveyed a representative quota sample of 2,215 UK adults aged 16-75. In the survey, n=1,819 respondents described having personally experienced feelings of loneliness. The survey was carried out using Ipsos’ online i:omnibus from 16th-20th May 2025. The samples achieved are representative of the populations with interlocking quotas on Age within Gender, and quotas on Region and Working Status.
- Data are weighted to known offline proportions for interlocking cells of gender within age and working status, as well as region, social grade and education to reflect the adult population in the UK.
