Milos Kreckovic/Getty Images

Milos Kreckovic/Getty Images

Are you lonely? Chances are, according to a Lifeline survey, the answer is yes – but you’re unwilling to talk about it.

The national survey, released on Tuesday, found about 60% of the 3,100 respondents said they “often felt lonely” and 82.5% said they felt loneliness was increasing in society, an answer Lifeline’s chief executive, Pete Shmigel, said was likely a cover for those unwilling to out themselves as members of the loneliness club.

The alternate response was even more worrying: only 1.27% thought loneliness was decreasing in society. The remaining 16.9% were unsure.

– Calla Wahlquist

Read more: Eighty-two percent of Australians say loneliness is increasing, Lifeline survey finds