Men, the healthy and partnered may underreport loneliness in surveys

Older adults do not always say they are lonely, even when a more indirect measure suggests they are. A Dutch study of people aged 55 to 66 has found that men, those in good health, and partnered individuals are less likely to admit feeling lonely when asked directly than women, those in poor health, and single people.

The research, published in the European Journal of Ageing by Milynn Koene and colleagues, drew on earlier work suggesting that people belonging to social categories not typically associated with loneliness are less likely to acknowledge the feeling. The team hypothesized that men, people in good health, partnered individuals, and migrants would be less likely to admit loneliness than women, those in poor health, single individuals, and non-migrants, respectively.

To test this, the researchers used data from 1,383 Dutch, Moroccan, and Turkish individuals aged between 55 and 66 living in the Netherlands. Respondents’ loneliness was assessed with direct measurements of loneliness, while an indirect measurement of loneliness was controlled for in the analysis. This design allowed the authors to compare what people reported when asked outright with what a less direct approach suggested.

The findings showed a clear pattern. Men were less likely to admit feeling lonely when asked directly than women. Those in good health were less likely to admit loneliness than those in poor health, and partnered individuals were less likely to admit it than single individuals.

Migration background produced a more nuanced result. Migrants were less likely to admit loneliness on the direct measurement than non-migrants, but only when they had a high score on the indirect measurement of loneliness. In other words, the underreporting among migrants became apparent specifically among those whose indirect scores indicated loneliness.

The study’s authors recommend that future studies be cautious when using direct loneliness measurements, and that professionals be aware of the tendency of specific groups to underreport loneliness. The implication is that direct questions may miss loneliness in groups whose social identities are not stereotypically associated with the feeling, potentially leading to underestimates of how widespread the problem is.

The research was published as an open access article on 28 August 2026 and is currently shared as an accepted manuscript that is citable and carries a permanent DOI, subject to further edits before the final version of record appears. The article is authored by Milynn Koene, Theo G. van Tilburg, Tineke Fokkema, and Nina Conkova.

For researchers and practitioners working with older adults, the message is that the way loneliness is measured matters. Because direct questions appear to elicit different answers depending on gender, health, partner status, and migration background, relying on them alone may obscure loneliness in some groups.

Subject of Research: Underreporting of loneliness among older adults in the Netherlands

Article Title: Underreporting loneliness among older adults: the role of gender, health, partner status, and migration background

Article References: Koene, M., van Tilburg, T. G., Fokkema, T., & Conkova, N. (2026). Underreporting loneliness among older adults: the role of gender, health, partner status, and migration background. European Journal of Ageing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-026-00941-w

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s10433-026-00941-w

Keywords: loneliness, older adults, underreporting, survey methods, gender, health, partner status, migration background, Netherlands, measurement, older, adults