TOKYO >> About 40% of people in Japan feel lonely at least occasionally, according to recently released results of a nationwide government survey on loneliness and isolation.

The December survey was conducted with 20,000 people age 16 and older across the country.

Asked how often they felt lonely, 4.9% of respondents said they frequently or always felt lonely, while 15.8% said sometimes and 19.6% said once in a while. The total percentage of the three groups was 40.3%, 3.9 percentage points higher than in a previous survey released in April 2022.

By age group, incidences of those who felt lonely at least occasionally was highest among respondents in their 20s, at 47.9%. They were followed by people in their 50s, at 46.2%, and those in their 30s, at 45.9%, indicating high rates of loneliness among the working population.

Respondents who said they felt lonely frequently or all the time and had not received help from government or nonprofit organizations were also asked why they did not get help. The most common answer, at 39%, was “I don’t know how to get support.”

“The rise in unmarried individuals and financial woes are believed to be driving loneliness among the working population,” said Mitsunori Ishida, a Waseda University professor of sociology. “Better outreach support is needed.”