Study challenges claims of a rising 'loneliness epidemic'

A commentary piece argues that widely cited claims of an epidemic of loneliness rest on flawed data analysis. The author points to surveys, such as one showing 76% of Californians and 78% of residents in China's Anhui province report feeling lonely, and argues researchers wrongly assume this represents an 'unprecedented' rise without historical comparison data. The piece also criticizes age-based breakdowns of loneliness statistics for assuming today's young people will remain lonely as they age, and older people were never lonely when young.