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While older adults often get the most attention for being isolated, young people are losing more of their quality of life—such as feeling healthy, happy and able to enjoy daily activities—because they feel lonely.

The study, published in Value in Health, analyzed more than 53,000 observations from almost 22,000 Australians ages 15 and older across four waves of the nationally representative Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey.

Researchers followed the same people over time, examining how changes in loneliness and social isolation were associated with changes in their health-related quality of life.

The analysis accounted for changes in circumstances, including employment, income, physical and mental health conditions and major life events.

Loneliness alone was reported by 18% of people ages 15 to 24, declining to 12% among those 65 and older.

Health-related quality of life was measured using standardized health utility values, which capture different aspects of health and well-being in a single score ranging from 1.0 (full health) to 0.0 (death).

Among people ages 15 to 24, loneliness was associated with a 0.079-point reduction in health utility—the largest reduction associated with loneliness across the age groups studied.

While social isolation was more common among older Australians, its strongest association with poorer health-related quality of life was seen among women ages 25 to 44.

061 points lower for loneliness alone—around three times the reduction—compared with people experiencing neither.

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