Month / June 2020
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Corona has made people lonelier
During the pandemic, participants in “Living in Germany” felt approximately as satisfied with their lives as in previous years, and also did not suffer more from anxiety or depression. Yet loneliness increased significantly when measured in terms of the difference between desired and existing social relationships— and this was particularly the case among women and young people. Why is that? SOEP researcher and study author Theresa Entringer suspects that many young people saw their friends and acquaintances much more before the pandemic. Older people, on the other hand, are generally more focused on their spouse or partner and family and were able to maintain these social relationships during the pandemic.
Further information
DIW Berlin: Einsam, aber resilient – Die Menschen haben den Lockdown besser verkraftet als vermutet