Gen Z’s Loneliness Problem Is Worse Than You Think, According to a New Survey
· Vice
Being lonely in your 20s comes with a cruel twist. Everyone else looks booked and social online, so it feels like you’re the only one sitting at home.
That’s far from true. A Talker Research survey of 1,000 physically active Gen Zers, commissioned by gym chain Life Time, found that 69% feel lonelier and more isolated than they expected to. On average, respondents said they feel lonely four days a week, even when surrounded by other people.
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Their social circles are small, too. The typical respondent reported having three close friends, 43% have fewer, and one in six sees those friends just a couple of times a year.
A New Survey Reveals Just How Lonely Gen Z Really Is
And this has been going on for years. In his 2023 advisory, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy reported that Americans ages 15 to 24 spent 70% less time interacting with friends than people their age did two decades earlier. He argued that loneliness deserved public health attention on par with tobacco and obesity.
Even finding somewhere to hang out costs money these days. A couple of drinks, an Uber home, maybe something to eat, and somehow you’ve spent $80 just to get out of the house. Cost was the biggest reason respondents gave for avoiding social spaces, while 69% said they didn’t have enough time to go out. Another seven in 10 said they were too exhausted to socialize, even when they wanted to. Between work, errands, and trying to keep your life together, finding the time and energy to meet new people isn’t always easy.
Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term “third places” to describe the places people spend time outside home and work. For years, that meant neighborhood bars, coffee shops, and other local hangouts where you could stop in without making plans, recognize a few people, and stay as long as you wanted. You didn’t have to arrange anything three weeks in advance just to have a conversation.
For some Gen Zers, the gym is filling that role. In the survey, 59% considered their workout location a third place, and 83% said they’d like to combine exercise and socializing more frequently.
A gym chain encouraging people to socialize at the gym isn’t exactly an unbiased endorsement, but Strava’s 2025 Year in Sport report suggests the interest extends outside Life Time’s customer base. New running clubs on the app grew 3.5 times in 2025, and Gen Z respondents were 39% more likely than Gen X to use fitness to meet people with similar interests.
There’s an obvious catch: gym memberships and fitness classes cost money, too. Still, having somewhere to go regularly, where you see the same people and already have something in common, takes some of the awkwardness out of meeting new people. You don’t have to organize an entire evening around getting to know someone.
You already have somewhere to be, and so do they. That’s half the battle when everyone’s schedules are a nightmare.
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