Why do nearly half of young Australians feel lonely in such a sunny country?

“London may not be as gloomy as Melbourne.”

Recently, I have kept seeing posts online complaining about Melbourne’s weather.

Australia seems to have had more rainy days than usual this year. It is not only people in Melbourne who have had to deal with constant damp and grey weather. Even Canberra, usually known for its dry climate, has been raining every few days since March.

As someone whose mood is easily affected by the weather, I can quickly fall into a low and depressed state on rainy days.

But even when the sun is shining, many people do not necessarily feel positive or motivated.

When people think of Australia, they probably picture blue skies, beaches and endless sunshine.

That is why it may be difficult to imagine that in a country as bright as Australia, almost half the population has experienced mental health difficulties.

According to data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2023, 42.9 per cent of people aged between 16 and 85 had experienced a mental disorder at some point in their lives.

There may be many reasons behind this, but one condition that should not be overlooked is loneliness.

An Australian study published in 2019 found that more than half of Australians sometimes felt they lacked companionship, 25 per cent of Australian adults felt lonely, and 30 per cent believed they did not have friends to accompany them.

Loneliness is particularly common among young people.

A report published last year on the Loneliness Awareness Week website found that 43 per cent of Australians aged between 15 and 25 felt lonely.

In other words, almost one in every two young people experiences loneliness.

Among migrants, loneliness may be up to 1.5 times more common than across the general Australian population.

The feeling of loneliness is becoming increasingly widespread.

The high cost of living leaves less room for social connection.

The rising cost of living is now something everyone in Australia has to face.

Oil crises and interest-rate increases eventually reach daily life through higher petrol prices, rising rent, growing electricity, internet and insurance bills, and the increasing cost of restaurants and coffee.

In a 2025 University of Sydney study on loneliness among young Australians, one participant said that even something as simple as going for a drive with friends had become expensive.

In the past, people might have met for dinner after class or work, arranged brunch with friends on the weekend, had coffee together, or taken a spontaneous road trip to a nearby town.

Now that almost everything costs more, even casual social activities require people to think carefully about their budgets.

Social media makes communication easier, but can prevent deeper connection.

The rise of social media should, in theory, make it easier and faster for people to connect.

Yet despite having more ways to communicate, people often find it harder to become genuinely close.

In the study mentioned above, some young participants said the internet had helped them find communities based on shared interests and given them a sense of belonging.

Someone with an unusual hobby may struggle to find like-minded people in daily life, while social media offers a way to connect.

But it also creates another problem.

Online discussions may appear lively, yet few people are willing to listen carefully or engage in deeper conversations.

Some young Australians in the study said they experienced exclusion, gossip and social pressure online.

Even within a group of friends, people might create smaller private chats to discuss others behind their backs.

The report suggested that social media has made interaction easier, while making deep relationships more difficult to build.

This may be one reason young Australians are more vulnerable to loneliness.

For Chinese people in Australia, loneliness also carries the feeling of being an outsider.

For international students and new migrants living far from home, loneliness may have two additional sources: language barriers and cultural distance.

These are challenges that almost every Chinese person living overseas has to face.

When I first arrived in Australia, language felt like an invisible wall.

From ordering food to giving presentations in class, even having an IELTS score of four sevens did not make group discussions or everyday small talk effortless.

They still required preparation, confidence and a great deal of practice.

Learning to communicate in a new language is an important step for anyone who moves overseas.

But language is only the threshold.

Culture can be an even more difficult barrier to cross.

Even when your English eventually becomes fluent enough for daily life, study and work, you may still feel like an outsider in the society around you.

Cultural difference can feel like a gap that is impossible to close.

People who grew up watching Marvel films may struggle to understand the emotional conflicts common in East Asian families.

The names of football teams and athletes that local people mention casually can sound like Morse code, entering one ear and disappearing through the other.

As a result, conversations with locals can often remain on the surface.

Even after living here for many years and actively participating in community activities, there may still be a faint feeling of standing outside.

That distance can make loneliness feel even stronger.

01 · Check whether you are lacking vitamins or other nutrients

The first step is to rule out physical causes.

I experienced this myself not long ago.

For a long period between last year and this year, I had no motivation to do anything.

I felt low, discouraged and unwilling to leave the house.

Mentally, I began believing that I was incapable of doing anything well and constantly criticised myself.

Physically, I started losing hair, feeling dizzy for no clear reason and experiencing a heavy, foggy sensation in my head.

At first, I did not pay much attention.

I assumed I had simply not rested enough.

But when the dizziness became more severe, I went to see a doctor.

A blood test showed that my vitamin D level was extremely low.

The doctor told me that it was still only late summer or early autumn. If my vitamin D level was already this low and remained that way into winter, I could experience even more severe physical symptoms, including widespread body pain.

I began taking vitamin D according to the doctor’s instructions.

Over the next two months, the dizziness gradually disappeared.

My mood improved significantly, and I became far more motivated in daily life.

So when you notice that your mood has remained low for a long time and nothing seems interesting, do not immediately blame yourself for being lazy.

It may be worth checking whether there are physical reasons behind the way you feel.

02 · Actively build connections with the world

After graduating and starting full-time work, life can easily shrink into a routine between home and the office.

Your social circle may also become limited to colleagues, family members and a few close friends.

Over time, every day begins to feel repetitive, and life loses its sense of freshness.

So try creating new connections deliberately.

You could join an in-person group, participate in local activities or volunteer and meet new people.

These connections may not necessarily develop into deep friendships.

But even small, ordinary interactions can help you slowly step outside a closed and repetitive life.

Bring more initiative into your days.

Believe that everything you actively choose to do will nourish you in some way.

03 · Use small hobbies to resist the emptiness of life

Freedom and loneliness seem to exist in a strange balance.

For many people living in China, demanding jobs and busy family lives already occupy most of their time.

They may have little energy left to feel lonely.

That is why people often dream of having more freedom—more time to travel and truly live.

In Australia, however, many people work regular nine-to-five hours and have more personal time.

But the country is sparsely populated, and life moves slowly.

After a while, the days may begin to feel repetitive.

Even different trips can start to resemble one another.

Then people fall into a sense of emptiness and begin asking what life is supposed to mean.

But life may not require a grand answer.

Instead of searching for meaning, perhaps we can create it ourselves.

Reading, painting, writing, exercising, listening to music, learning to cook, talking with friends, studying programming or developing a new skill may all appear ordinary.

But these small things are meaningful.

The French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre said:

“Existence precedes essence.”

We do not need to find ourselves before we begin acting.

It is through action that we gradually shape who we are and give meaning to our lives.

Life may not need a magnificent purpose written across the stars.

Writing an article, helping a plant grow or learning a new skill may be enough.

It is these specific people, activities and ordinary moments that come together to form a life that belongs entirely to you.