Generational Patterns of Loneliness in Post-Pandemic Europe: A Cross-National Comparison
VII. International Applied Statistics Congress (UYIK – 2026) , İstanbul, Türkiye, 11 - 13 Mayıs 2026, ss.136, (Özet Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
- Basıldığı Şehir: İstanbul
- Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.136
- Bilecik Şeyh Edebali Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Whether loneliness increased during the COVID-19 pandemic has been widely examined; however, existing evidence largely focuses on its acute phase. Much less is known about how loneliness has evolved in the post-pandemic period and whether these dynamics differ systematically across population groups. This paper addresses this gap by investigating generational differences in loneliness using pooled pre- and post-pandemic waves of the European Social Survey, covering 25 countries. We estimate logistic regression models with interaction terms between period and age group, controlling for unobserved cross-country heterogeneity and employing cluster-robust standard errors. To ensure robustness, we replicate the analysis under alternative threshold definitions of loneliness and weighting schemes. Our findings indicate no statistically significant change in aggregate loneliness levels between the two periods. However, this apparent stability conceals offsetting trends across age groups. In particular, loneliness increases significantly among young adults, while no comparable change is observed among older populations. Further age-stratified analyses show that the mechanisms associated with loneliness—especially social exclusion—vary across life stages. These results demonstrate that aggregate measures can obscure important subgroup heterogeneity and underscore the importance of adopting an age-sensitive perspective in both empirical research and policy design.