[Survey of 547 Single People in their 50s] Men are moved by "outside scenes," women by "daily life at home"! What are the moments they feel "daily loneliness"?

Late April, when cherry blossoms have fallen and the hustle and bustle of a new life has settled down. This is the time of year when the world is buzzing with plans to spend time with family and friends for Golden Week. While scenes of travel, returning home, and lively family dinners spread, daily life often remains unchanged, and one might suddenly feel "left behind." What moments reveal the emotional state of single people in their 50s, who are swayed by everyday scenes such as the deli section of a supermarket, dinner at home on a holiday night, or seasonal events during long holidays?

Goens (operated by Goens Inc. / Headquarters: Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture / CEO: Kazuya Hirosawa), a matching app exclusively for people aged 50 and over, conducted a survey targeting single men and women in their 50s nationwide who do not have partners, regarding the moments they feel "the melancholy of being alone" and their attitudes toward new opportunities for encounters.

Despite experiencing similar levels of loneliness, different tendencies can be observed between men and women in "where they feel it" and "their subsequent actions"—this survey reveals the real inner feelings of single people in their 50s through numbers and direct voices.

■Survey Summary
Men and women feel loneliness in daily meals and shopping at almost the same rate.
When asked about the frequency of feeling "melancholy in daily meals and shopping," 21.82% of men and 21.69% of women answered "frequently feel" or "sometimes feel," an almost identical rate. This reveals that more than one in five single people in their 50s are spontaneously aware of loneliness in their daily lives.

Men tend to feel it in "outside scenes," women in "daily life at home."
For men, scenes outside the home stood out, such as "when they put only one discounted deli item in their shopping basket at the supermarket" or "when they see the lights of a happy family gathering through a condominium window on their way home from work." On the other hand, for women, daily scenes at home were often chosen, such as "when eating the usual meal during a seasonal event" or "when they are ill and cannot cook."

Positive responses to opportunities for encounters are about twice as high for men as for women.
When asked "would you like to try using matching apps or other places for encounters in the future?", positive responses were 22.55% for men and 11.77% for women. Furthermore, different tendencies were observed between men and women regarding their willingness to use places for encounters, not for serious "marriage hunting" or "romance," but for "finding someone to eat with."

■Survey Overview
Item: Content
Survey Method: Internet survey
Target: Single men and women in their 50s nationwide without partners
Survey Period: April 20-24, 2026
Sample Size: 547 people (275 men, 272 women / valid responses)

■Men "outside," women "at home." One in five realizes "daily melancholy."
First, it is important to note that there was no significant gender difference in the frequency of feeling "loneliness" itself. To the question "Do you feel melancholy in daily meals and shopping?", 21.82% of men and 21.69% of women answered "frequently feel" or "sometimes feel," which is almost the same rate. This means that more than one in five people in their 50s are aware of melancholy in their daily lives.

However, when asked in a multiple-choice format "What moments do you strongly feel 'I suddenly want to eat with someone' or 'I want to share time with someone' in daily life?", differences in the tendencies of chosen scenes appeared between men and women.

◆Men realize loneliness in "scenes that suddenly catch their eye while out."
When comparing the responses of men and women, men significantly outnumbered women in "scenes where they come into contact with others' lives while out." For "when they put only one discounted deli item in their shopping basket at the supermarket," men were 5.82% / women 2.94%, meaning men were about twice as high as women. For "when they see the lights of a happy family gathering through a condominium window on their way home from work," men were 6.55% / women 3.31%, again, men had about twice the response rate.

Many voices describing outdoor scenes also appeared in the free responses.
"When I buy groceries and go home to a dark house" (Male, 56, civil servant)
"When I eat out alone, including lunch. Even if I think about having a drink outside and going home, it just makes me lonely, so I rush home without stopping" (Male, 51, manager)
"When I'm touring a tourist spot alone and almost all other tourists are couples or families. I realize that I'm here alone because I don't have anyone to go with" (Male, 52, freelancer)
"When I go out to the city on a seasonal event day like Christmas and see the streets filled with couples" (Male, 52, company employee)
"When I eat alone at a family restaurant with many families" (Male, 51, self-employed)
"When I see families eating at a restaurant on a holiday" (Male, 55, company employee)
"When I see happy-looking families, couples, or groups, I remember the past and feel a little lonely and sentimental" (Male, 50, company employee)
"When I see a family dinner scene on TV" (Male, 59, company employee)
"When I see a happy family" (Male, 52, part-timer)
"At Christmas, I saw the city..." (The last sentence was cut off in the original text, so I will end it here for consistency.)