Germain tries not to think about it too much. But the feeling of loneliness that the 21-year-old has suffered for years always reappears. Even just by seeing acquaintances spending time with friends on social media, ” That [lui] remember that [lui, il] It doesn’t count for many people.”trusts Corrézien. Since starting high school, where his vocational high school orientation in a new city took him away from his rugby friends and family, his social interactions have been dramatically reduced. The Covid-19 crisis, which occurred during its 1 yeardit dulled them even more.
Today, Germain (who wishes to remain anonymous, like the other witnesses) ” Fortunately “ a girlfriend to share part of the week with. But there are no close friends “and that weighs”. “During the day I have conversations with friends or colleagues, but once it’s the weekend or vacation, no one knows anything about me. It’s hard to move forward like this: how can we have confidence in ourselves when no one sees value in us? »he seriously wonders. Loneliness has taken up residence like a gigantic elephant in the room, one that you usually never talk about. “I don’t want people to take pity on me and decide to ask me out just because of that.”explains the young BTS graduate.
Nor is it easy to trust isolation at an age associated, in the collective imagination, with a period of permanent social ties, going out and partying. But far from this image of Epinal, loneliness is an increasingly widespread disease among the younger generations, in an increasingly atomized society. Young people are even the first to suffer from this “loneliness epidemic”as researchers and senior US officials called it in 2023.
In France, 62% of young people between 18 and 24 years old usually feel lonely, according to a study by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) published in January 2024. In June 2023, an annual study by the Jean Foundation Jaurès also revealed that, while almost half of French people (46%) say they feel lonely, this proportion reaches a maximum of 71% among young people aged 18 to 24. And yet, while this problem is more easily attributed to older people (37% of those over 65 are affected, according to the IFOP), “Most research and policies on loneliness have too often neglected young people”regrets the report of the Jean Jaurès Foundation.
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