Young Irish women lonelier than others in EU - survey

Young Irish women are lonelier than others in the EU, according to research by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.

The data gathered by Eurofound shows more 18-34 year olds in Ireland reported feeling lonely last month.

The survey was carried out across the EU27 and the UK during the Covid-19 restrictions.

It examined a range of topics including life satisfaction, optimism, resilience, health, mental well-being and trust in institutions.

Ireland has comparably high well-being indicators for the population overall, however, younger Irish women ranked highest in the EU when it came to feeling lonely and depressed.

Almost 10% of Irish women aged between 18 and 34 reported feeling lonely all of the time.

18% reported feeling lonely most of the time.

In comparison, the lowest ranking country, Spain, found that just 2% of women in that age group reported feeling lonely all of the time. 8% were lonely most of the time.

Eurofound's results show 18-34 year old Irish men reported feeling less lonely than women.

7% of Irish men in the 18-34 age group reported feeling lonely all the time while 12% said they were lonely most of the time.

When asked about feeling downhearted or depressed, Irish women aged 18-34 ranked third in the EU for depression.

Irish men in that age category were below the EU average.

The survey was carried out between 9 April and 30 April.

There was a sample size of 86,457 with 62,755 complete responses. It covers the EU27 and the UK. The target population was people aged 18 and over.