USA 
United Kingdom
A growing mental health gap is emerging among young American men, with new data from Gallup showing they are lonelier and more emotionally detached than counterparts at home and abroad.
Some 25% of US men aged 15 to 34 say they felt lonely for much of the previous day, which is higher than the national average of 18%, the same rate reported by young US women. No other country in the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) exhibits a wider gap between young men and the rest of the population.
Wellbeing gap wider than other rich nations
Loneliness is not exclusive to the US, but its intensity among young men stands out. Across the 38 high-income democracies that make up the OECD, the median rate of daily loneliness for younger men is just 15%. In most countries, loneliness among the group aligns closely with national averages. The US breaks that pattern.
Only two other countries - Iceland and Denmark - report higher loneliness rates for younger men compared to their broader populations. Still, the gap in those nations is modest at just five percentage points in Iceland and six in Denmark, versus eight in the US.
In nine other countries, including Turkey (29%), France (24%) and Canada (22%), at least one in five younger men report loneliness. But the figures do not diverge sharply from other groups. Young men in the US appear to be experiencing a more distinct level of separation.
Younger American women also report elevated loneliness, with 20% of those aged 35 to 54 feeling lonely, compared with the OECD median of 14% for that group.
Worry and stress compound problem
Young men in the US are also more likely to experience stress and worry than other adults in the country. More than half (57%) say they feel daily stress, compared with 48% of their older peers. While OECD-wide data also show younger men experience more stress than older groups (42% versus 36%), the US again exceeds the global average.
Daily worry is another outlier. Some 46% of young American men report feeling worried each day, nearly 10 percentage points higher than other US adults. Across the OECD, by contrast, daily worry is reported by 36% of both groups. Only Germany and Sweden show a similar discrepancy.
The experiences do not suggest a broader emotional dysfunction. On other measures, including anger, enjoyment, sadness, rest, laughter and respect, young US men track similarly with national and global trends. But loneliness and daily worry present uniquely acute challenges.
What it means for HR and leadership
Persistent loneliness is linked to lower life satisfaction, reduced social trust, poor sleep and lower perceived autonomy. People who feel lonely on a daily basis are half as likely to be considered “thriving,” according to Gallup’s Life Evaluation Index.
The findings are a wake up call to CHROs and HR leaders that while loneliness may not yet affect workplace trust or leadership confidence, its impact on employee wellbeing is tangible. Emotional isolation could erode engagement, increase turnover risk and hinder performance in the long term.
Although Gallup only began measuring global loneliness in 2023, the data already points to a clear need for targeted wellbeing strategies that reflect generational and emotional realities.
