They are interesting findings. One of the limitations of this is its snapshot nature. If asked today as a mostly successful boomer, I would answer it as a boomer does. If I were asked the same question fifty years ago in my 20s, would I respond as the current boomer that I became or would I answer like 20-somethings do now? You need a lot of surveys done serially to determine whether the responses reflect communal times or personal times.
There is another potential source of data on this, at least for Seniors. Medicare has a mandatory Wellness assessment, basically a checklist that beneficiaries are asked at their office visits adapted by most large medical organizations. It is cursory at each visit, directed at falls, depression, and availability of quick rescue when needed. At the once a year Wellness Visit, sometimes taken online, more often in the office as a schedule visit, these elements are probed in more detail. The number of Medicare Wellness visits is done at a scale far in excess of what any randomized sample could include. On the downside, there is no means of determining if the respondents are representative of the larger population by anything other than the age and Medicare coverage.
This data is also at odds with medical data obtained elsewhere that shows an increasing prevalence of self-reported loneliness and adverse medical outcomes among people of any age who report themselves that way. I don't think this is fake data created to pitch a medical institutional agenda, though I don't know how it was obtained. I assume in medical fashion, they do randomized or observational studies which get reported to journals.
"for the youngest adults in the sample, only 17% say that they ‘always’ feel like they get the emotional and social support that they need."
How much of this is just teenage angst and drama though? I don't think this is unique to GenZ. In the US, teens of every generation since the 1950s have felt no one understood them or support them. Much of it is just immaturity and growing up.
I had the same thought. I also think that the increase in awareness about and focus on mental health probably discourages people from giving an absolute answer like "I always receive the support I need." To a younger person, that sounds like denial, not realism. Still, I found the data in this article really interesting, especially the reported rates of social contact and religious attendance. Always helpful to have some hard numbers to go with the trends we instinctively know are happening around us!
The only time I feel lonely is if I have to be with people - I find them incredibly stressful. I have my animals and they make me happy!! I think your final comments are based on your own feelings.
Putnam keeps showing up. Most interesting is the questions arising at the end about introversion. It seems like we are trying really hard to convince ourselves that we do like, we prefer to, bowl alone.
Not sure I should even be writing this....but I feel I gotta.
People aren't socializing -- i.e. being around others their age, or older or younger--for a variety of reasons, none of which have anything to do with them being introverts and everything to do with the emotional, mental, physical and financial drains socializing brings with it in these financially, environmentally, familially, politically, and personally stressful times.
This kind of all-encompassing and relentless stress pretty much precludes having the time and energy or will to socialize....IMO, anyway.
I think the Pandemic caused a great introverti g where suddenly people on the margin of mostly introverted realized that they were closer to the middle. I think we're seeing a tail end of this swing and hopefully, the US lands at a place closer to the middle than its extremely extroverted past.
"Meetings" is an interesting word here. I avoid them as much as I can, even for the running and triathlon clubs I belong to. But I go to club training four or five times a week, usually with coffee or a meal afterwards. So, depending on how you classify that, I'm at one extreme or the other
Good advice at the end! Two other observations....
I wonder how much of the stats are accounted for by seasons of life. I got quite lonely and felt not very supported at times during my high school and post-college years up to my early 30's. But those were particularly difficult times for me to form relationships as for many. I've become more stable and content in my relationships since. I think it's that way for a lot of people.
Second, if one is not going to church, that makes it that much more difficult to have meaningful connections with people. So I suspect some correlation there.
They are interesting findings. One of the limitations of this is its snapshot nature. If asked today as a mostly successful boomer, I would answer it as a boomer does. If I were asked the same question fifty years ago in my 20s, would I respond as the current boomer that I became or would I answer like 20-somethings do now? You need a lot of surveys done serially to determine whether the responses reflect communal times or personal times.
There is another potential source of data on this, at least for Seniors. Medicare has a mandatory Wellness assessment, basically a checklist that beneficiaries are asked at their office visits adapted by most large medical organizations. It is cursory at each visit, directed at falls, depression, and availability of quick rescue when needed. At the once a year Wellness Visit, sometimes taken online, more often in the office as a schedule visit, these elements are probed in more detail. The number of Medicare Wellness visits is done at a scale far in excess of what any randomized sample could include. On the downside, there is no means of determining if the respondents are representative of the larger population by anything other than the age and Medicare coverage.
This data is also at odds with medical data obtained elsewhere that shows an increasing prevalence of self-reported loneliness and adverse medical outcomes among people of any age who report themselves that way. I don't think this is fake data created to pitch a medical institutional agenda, though I don't know how it was obtained. I assume in medical fashion, they do randomized or observational studies which get reported to journals.
"for the youngest adults in the sample, only 17% say that they ‘always’ feel like they get the emotional and social support that they need."
How much of this is just teenage angst and drama though? I don't think this is unique to GenZ. In the US, teens of every generation since the 1950s have felt no one understood them or support them. Much of it is just immaturity and growing up.
Oh, I'm 1000% sure that's what it is.
Catcher in the Rye is a perennial classic because we all go through that angsty period.
I had the same thought. I also think that the increase in awareness about and focus on mental health probably discourages people from giving an absolute answer like "I always receive the support I need." To a younger person, that sounds like denial, not realism. Still, I found the data in this article really interesting, especially the reported rates of social contact and religious attendance. Always helpful to have some hard numbers to go with the trends we instinctively know are happening around us!
The only time I feel lonely is if I have to be with people - I find them incredibly stressful. I have my animals and they make me happy!! I think your final comments are based on your own feelings.
Putnam keeps showing up. Most interesting is the questions arising at the end about introversion. It seems like we are trying really hard to convince ourselves that we do like, we prefer to, bowl alone.
Mr. Burge,
Not sure I should even be writing this....but I feel I gotta.
People aren't socializing -- i.e. being around others their age, or older or younger--for a variety of reasons, none of which have anything to do with them being introverts and everything to do with the emotional, mental, physical and financial drains socializing brings with it in these financially, environmentally, familially, politically, and personally stressful times.
This kind of all-encompassing and relentless stress pretty much precludes having the time and energy or will to socialize....IMO, anyway.
I think the Pandemic caused a great introverti g where suddenly people on the margin of mostly introverted realized that they were closer to the middle. I think we're seeing a tail end of this swing and hopefully, the US lands at a place closer to the middle than its extremely extroverted past.
"Meetings" is an interesting word here. I avoid them as much as I can, even for the running and triathlon clubs I belong to. But I go to club training four or five times a week, usually with coffee or a meal afterwards. So, depending on how you classify that, I'm at one extreme or the other
All I got from this article is that introverts ruined everything and all I can say about that is "Finally someone says it!" lol Great article.
Good advice at the end! Two other observations....
I wonder how much of the stats are accounted for by seasons of life. I got quite lonely and felt not very supported at times during my high school and post-college years up to my early 30's. But those were particularly difficult times for me to form relationships as for many. I've become more stable and content in my relationships since. I think it's that way for a lot of people.
Second, if one is not going to church, that makes it that much more difficult to have meaningful connections with people. So I suspect some correlation there.
Really good data mining here… thanks!