Loneliness is felt most intensely by young people, according to the largest ever survey which found that turning to Facebook does not help.

The survey of 55,000 people found that 16-24 year olds experience loneliness more often than any other age group.

Two in five of those within this age group reported feeling lonely often or very often, compared to only 29 per cent of people aged 65-74 and 27 percent of those aged 75 or older.

It found that people who report feeling lonely have more online-only Facebook friends than those who do not.

The survey, which was conducted by BBC Radio 4’s All In The Mind in conjunction with the Wellcome Trust, raises a host of questions around whether or not youth loneliness is the product of the stresses of modern life or if our ability to deal with emotions increases with age.

Claudia Hammond, the presenter of All In The Mind, told The Telegraph that she believes the research points to an “epidemic of loneliness” while challenging the notion of Britain as a nation of isolated pensioners living alongside highly social, tech-savvy youngsters.

“I wondered whether there is something about the stress of modern life, or young people’s ability to cope with it, that makes them feel lonelier. Or is youth simply a time of life when people feel isolation most keenly?,” Hammond asked.