Quick 20-item check-in for current loneliness and social connection using the original ULS-20 response scale.

  • Answer each item from Never to Often.
  • Nine support-worded items are reverse-scored before the 20 to 80 total is calculated.
  • Your responses stay only in this browser unless you export them.
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Connection snapshot
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Share result

Share this result page with someone you trust to review your answers and result.

Connection gauge
What this result suggests

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Keep doing
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When to recheck
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Strongest supports

These items are carrying the least loneliness weight right now. They are the anchors worth protecting and repeating.

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Lowest supports

These items are carrying the most loneliness weight right now. They usually offer the clearest starting point for the next small adjustment.

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Answer review
# Item Response Scored point Lens Read Reverse-coded Copy
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Tags: Psychology, Psychometrics
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Loneliness is not just the count of people nearby. It is the felt gap between the connection someone wants and the connection they experience. That gap can show up as missing companionship, feeling out of step with a group, not feeling known, or finding social contact harder than it used to be. Social isolation describes limited contact or support from other people; loneliness describes the personal feeling of being alone, disconnected, or not close enough to others. A person can have many contacts and still feel lonely, and someone with a small circle may feel well supported.

The UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3, often shortened to ULS-20, measures that subjective experience with 20 frequency questions. Each item asks how often a connection-related feeling is present, using a four-point scale from Never to Often. Some items point directly toward loneliness, such as lacking companionship or feeling left out. Other items point toward support, such as having people to talk to or feeling close to people. The support-worded items are reversed during scoring so every keyed point moves in the same direction.

Subjective loneliness
A personal sense that desired closeness, belonging, or support is missing.
Social isolation
Limited contact, relationships, or practical support, whether or not the person feels lonely.
Reverse scoring
Recoding support-worded answers so stronger support lowers the loneliness-coded total.
Continuous score
A score read along a range rather than as a diagnosis or a pass/fail category.

A longer scale is useful when a very short loneliness check feels too blunt. Twenty items give more chances to notice whether the pattern is mainly about reliable contact, belonging, meaningful closeness, social ease, or a broader strain across several areas of connection. That detail can help with personal reflection, repeated check-ins, research-style tracking, or a clearer conversation with someone trusted.

ULS-20 scoring keeps direct loneliness items and reverse-scored support items on one 20 to 80 direction.

The score is still only one view of a real situation. Loneliness can rise after a move, bereavement, illness, heavy work or study load, caregiving strain, remote routines, or a loss of confidence in social settings. It can also change without a dramatic event when small contact habits quietly disappear. The number is most useful when it is read beside the exact item answers and the circumstances around them.

The common mistake is to treat a total as a clinical label. ULS-20 is a validated self-report scale for measuring loneliness, not a diagnosis of depression, anxiety, or any other condition. Boundary labels, averages, and support themes can organize the result, but they should not replace judgment, repeated context, or support from a qualified professional when loneliness is persistent, rising, or distressing.

How to Use This Tool:

Answer the 20 statements from the same recent frame of reference. The report appears only after every item has a selected response.

  1. Select Begin Assessment to open the 20-item flow and progress navigator.
  2. For each statement, choose Never, Rarely, Sometimes, or Often. Keep the same timeframe in mind for all answers.
  3. Use the navigator to revisit earlier statements if an answer feels misplaced. Rows with completed answers show a check mark.
  4. If no result appears, finish any unchecked item. The score needs 20 out of 20 answers.
  5. Read Connection snapshot for the total out of 80, mean item score, local guide lane, strongest support lens, lowest support lens, and balance label.
  6. Review the Connection gauge, Strongest supports, Lowest supports, and Answer review before copying, exporting, or sharing anything.

If the total looks surprising, start with the reverse-coded rows. A support-worded answer such as Often contributes fewer loneliness-coded points, while the same response on a direct loneliness item contributes more.

Interpreting Results:

The total score is the primary result. It ranges from 20 to 80 after reverse scoring. Lower totals mean the answered pattern carries less loneliness-coded weight. Higher totals mean loneliness-coded responses are being endorsed more often across the item set.

The local guide lane, strongest support lens, lowest support lens, and balance label make the report easier to scan. They are reading aids, not official ULS-20 diagnostic categories or validated subscale scores. The exact total and item table remain the clearest audit trail.

Output Useful reading What not to overread
Total score Main continuous loneliness score on the 20 to 80 range. Not a diagnosis and not a clinical cutoff by itself.
Mean item score Total divided by 20, shown on the 1 to 4 keyed scale. It restates the total rather than measuring a separate trait.
Guide lane A plain-language label for the total score band used in the report. A one-point move near a boundary can change the label without changing the underlying situation much.
Strongest support lens The local five-item group with the lowest loneliness-coded weight. Not proof that this area needs no attention.
Lowest support lens The local five-item group with the highest loneliness-coded weight. Not proof that all loneliness has a single cause.
Answer review Item-by-item raw answers, scored points, lens labels, and reverse-coding status. One item should not replace the full pattern.

A middle total can still contain one weak theme, and a higher total can still contain practical anchors. For repeat checks, compare results only when the response window and life context are similar enough to make the comparison meaningful.

Technical Details:

ULS-20 Version 3 uses a four-point frequency response scale. Raw answers are coded from 1 to 4, where Never is 1 and Often is 4. The scoring direction depends on item wording. Direct loneliness items keep the selected value because more frequent endorsement means more loneliness-coded weight. Support-worded items are reversed because more frequent endorsement means stronger connection support.

After reverse scoring, every keyed item points in the same direction. A keyed value of 1 means stronger support or less loneliness endorsement on that item. A keyed value of 4 means lower support or more loneliness endorsement. Adding the 20 keyed values creates a total from 20 to 80.

Formula Core

The total adds direct loneliness answers and reversed support answers.

T = ∑ i∈D xi + ∑ j∈R (5-xj)

T is the total score, D is the set of direct loneliness items, R is the set of reverse-scored support items, and x is the raw selected answer. For example, a direct loneliness item answered Often contributes 4 points. A support-worded item answered Often contributes 1 point because 5 minus 4 equals 1.

Score part Items Rule Effect on total
Direct loneliness items 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18 Use the selected 1 to 4 answer. More frequent endorsement raises the total.
Reverse-scored support items 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 15, 16, 19, 20 Use 5 minus the selected answer. More frequent support lowers the keyed total.
Mean item score All 20 keyed items Total divided by 20. Shows the same result on the 1 to 4 keyed scale.

The report organizes the 20 items into four local five-item lenses: reliable contact paths, belonging and fit, meaningful closeness, and social ease. Each lens ranges from 5 to 20 after keyed scoring. These lenses are practical reading groups for the answer pattern; they should not be described as official ULS-20 subscales.

Local guide lane Inclusive total range Plain reading
Steadier connection support 20 to 34 Loneliness-coded items are endorsed less often overall.
Mixed connection support 35 to 49 Useful anchors remain, while some gaps are visible enough to track.
Lower connection support 50 to 64 More items carry loneliness weight.
Strained connection support 65 to 80 Many items carry loneliness weight at the same time.

The gauge and guide lanes use the same total score. They do not add a separate statistical model. When a result sits near a lane boundary, read the numeric total and answer table first, then use the lane as a compact label.

Limitations, Privacy, and Responsible Use:

ULS-20 is an informational self-report measure. It can support reflection, tracking, and clearer discussion, but it does not identify the cause of loneliness and does not diagnose a mental health condition. A result can be shaped by recent events, culture, response style, energy, health, mobility, grief, or the time period a person had in mind while answering.

Scoring runs in the browser. The page can also create share links, copied rows, chart files, CSV exports, and DOCX answer exports. Those actions can preserve answers outside the browser, so treat exported or shared results as personal information.

If loneliness is intense, persistent, worsening, or connected with thoughts of self-harm, use the result as a prompt to seek real support rather than as a substitute for it.

Worked Examples:

Support item scoring. A support-worded item answered Often has a raw value of 4 but contributes 1 keyed point. That lowers the loneliness-coded total because frequent support is the opposite of loneliness endorsement.

Direct loneliness item scoring. A direct item such as lacking companionship answered Often contributes 4 keyed points. It raises the total because the answer endorses the loneliness direction more strongly.

Mixed total with one weaker theme. A 47/80 result falls in Mixed connection support. If the lowest-support lens is Meaningful closeness, the next reflection may be about being known and understood rather than simply adding more contacts.

Higher total with remaining anchors. A 62/80 result falls in Lower connection support. The useful follow-up is not only the total but also the strongest support items that are still carrying less loneliness-coded weight.

FAQ:

Is the 20 to 80 total the ULS-20 score?

Yes. The total is the sum of the 20 keyed values after the nine support-worded items are reverse-scored.

Are the guide lanes official cutoffs?

No. They are local reading labels for this report. The ULS-20 score itself remains a continuous self-report score.

Why do support items use reverse scoring?

Support-worded items point opposite the loneliness direction. Reverse scoring makes stronger support contribute fewer loneliness-coded points.

Why do I not see a result?

The report appears only after all 20 statements are answered. Use the navigator to find any row without a check mark.

Where do my answers go?

The score is calculated in the browser. Share links, copied rows, chart downloads, CSV files, and DOCX exports can still carry your answers outside the browser.

Glossary:

ULS-20
The 20-item UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3.
Keyed point
The scored value after applying reverse scoring where needed.
Reverse-coded item
A support-worded item recoded so higher support lowers the loneliness-coded total.
Guide lane
A local plain-language band used to summarize the total score in this report.
Local lens
A five-item grouping used to organize the answer pattern into practical support themes.
Connection support
The plain-language framing for lower loneliness-coded weight.

References: