Not Having Children is Causing a Massive Lonliness Epidemic
March 11, 2026
As the U.S. population continues a pattern of rapid aging due to increased life expectancy and declining birth rates, another worrying trend is also occurring: a marked increase in loneliness, especially among older populations over age 45. Researchers say that there is a strong link between the uptick in loneliness and the choice that many Americans are making not to have children or to live alone apart from their adult children.
In an Institute for Family Studies (IFS) report published Tuesday, sociologist and author Rosemary Hopcroft notes that rates of loneliness are rising, affecting 40% of those age 45 and older (up 5% since 2018). In addition, she highlighted how the number of Americans living alone in their 80s and 90s will soon skyrocket, “from 6% of all households in 2018 to 12% in 2028.”
