Investigating the social gradient of adolescent loneliness in the Born in Bradford Age of Wonder cohort

Loneliness among young people is a growing problem worldwide. It is rising alongside technology use and was likely made worse by the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a societal problem, as we know that feelings of loneliness while growing up are linked to poor mental health, as well as later long-term physical health problems and mortality in adulthood. Importantly, we know that loneliness does not affect everyone equally. Young people from lower socioeconomic status (combining education, income and occupation) families are much more likely to experience loneliness, and therefore poorer health.

However, we do not fully understand why socioeconomic status impacts loneliness, and how this interacts with other things that can also impact loneliness. The Born in Bradford Age of Wonder dataset gives us a unique chance to investigate this. The data tracks a large, diverse group of young people over time. This includes specific questions about how lonely the young people feel, how wealthy their families are, and relative levels of deprivation across neighbourhoods.

We will use advanced statistics to look at this connection. We will consider in our analyses the wider context of growing up in Bradford, such as schools young people go to, as well as information on the young people and their families. Throughout this project, we will run workshops with young people so they can help guide our research and interpret the results. Ultimately, we hope our findings will provide the necessary evidence to design new programs to prevent youth loneliness, supported by future research funding.