More than two-thirds of students in UK university halls feel lonely or isolated, blaming accommodation costs and over-reliance on phones for limiting their social life.
One in three students in halls of residence – 33% – are lonely or isolated at university often, with another 37% feeling that way occasionally, according to a poll by Opinium commissioned by the student accommodation provider PfP Students.
Students who reported feeling lonely or isolated often gave a range of reasons, with 45% struggling to meet people outside their flat or room, 39% spending most of their time studying or working, and 26% saying noise or the environment put them off socialising.
The findings show that 43% of students in halls feel isolated where they live, while 44% find it hard to make friends there; 87% feel the type of accommodation they chose at university affected their feelings of isolation.
University halls – or halls of residence – are university-owned or managed buildings providing student accommodation, typically for first-years, with varied room types from shared bathrooms to en suite and from catered to self-catered.
Rachel Horrobin, 20, a third-year psychology student, responded to the study on loneliness, commissioned as part of a PfP Students campaign called Room to Belong.
She said technology may well play a role in the issue. “The fact that I have my phone means I can use it to just reach all my friends back home,” she said. “Especially within first year. I was terrified to make new friends, so I just relied on the fact that I already had some and I didn’t really bother reaching out much because I knew I already had some people, but I didn’t realise living so far away from them would be such an issue.”
Horribin said in her first year she felt no one in her flat wanted to speak to her. “I felt really alone all the time,” she said. “When it got to January, when I moved back in after Christmas, I remember thinking I just don’t want to live here any more. I want to be gone.
“I really wish that my experiences were part of the minority, but it’s just not the case. I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve met that have had a good experience at university that wasn’t lonely and terrifying and scary.
“People don’t really tend to reach out any more. With a lot of my friends, their issues with feeling alone and isolated are because they live with a large group of people that don’t speak to them.”
Rachel said cost of living pressures, as well as university fees, also affected students’ ability to meet others.
“For the last three months I’ve been quite stressed, because I’ve been trying to look for work because I need money to be able to live,” she said. “Paying for drinks and a club is super-expensive, so none of us really tend to go out.”
Elsewhere in the poll, 41% said the design or layout of their accommodation made it harder to meet people, and 51% said the cost of their accommodation limited social activities.
Seventy-nine per cent said access to mental health support would be helpful when choosing where to live at university.
PfP Students’ Room to Belong campaign calls for student halls to have at least one member of staff on hand 24/7 so students always have someone to talk to.
Eamonn Tierney, the managing director of PfP Students, said: “The perception is that all students arrive at university, make friends instantly and settle straight into their new lives. Our research shows a very different reality: most students experience some level of loneliness or isolation.”
“Providers have a responsibility to help students integrate, build bonds and thrive so they don’t feel alone and can be the best version of themselves during this key stage of their lives.”
