Brothers not our best mates as millennials lose family ties

MILLENNIALS are less likely than previous generations to count a close family member such as a brother or sister among their best friends, according to a study.

Greater numbers going to university, as well as leaving home to live in large cities, means family ties are being weakened, contributing to a “growing problem of loneliness” among current 20-somethings, the report by the Intergenerational Foundation concluded.

The research compared survey data from those in their 20s in 2015, 2005 and 1995, indicating that overall wellbeing for this age group has declined by 10 per cent over the past two decades.

The report said social media enabling young people to communicate more with their friends, at the expense of their family, may also be contributing to the slump in family friendships.

Based on data from the British Household Panel Survey, the new study found that in 2015 millennials were 80.9 per cent less likely to have a family member as one of their three closest friends compared to 1995, and 55.2 per cent less likely compared to 2005. However, despite the connecting power of technologies, levels of close friendship overall have decline by more than six per cent in the last 10 years.

The experts said this indicates that even though young people are spending large amounts of time online, they are not necessarily using this time to form meaningful friendships.

The survey also showed that young people now believe themselves to be 25 per cent less physically healthy than in 1995. The report found that, combined, the two may indicate increasing loneliness in young adults. “If that is the case, then it should provide an important wake-up call that loneliness is a problem which affects people of all generations,” the authors wrote.

“The decline in how young adults perceive their health status is striking and raises a host of important questions which should demand further investigation. Does it really reflect mental problems, such as anxiety and depression, which could be manifesting themselves in an unexpected way?

“Or is it more to do with genuine changes in the health of this age cohort, such as the rise in levels of obesity?”