380K In NJ Will Spend Christmas Alone, Study Says

A silent night is in store for the hundreds of thousands in New Jersey who will be spending the holidays by themselves, according to a study from a mental health treatment organization.

A Mission For Michael, a group dedicated to supporting those dealing with mental illness, recently released a report showing how many people in each state are expected to be alone for Christmas.

About 14 million Americans are expected to spend the holiday alone, according to A Mission For Michael.

In New Jersey, that's 380,313 people, according to the study. That comes in at number 22 in the loneliest states.

“We often think of Christmas as a time of joy, but for many people, it becomes a mirror for everything they feel they’re missing”, A Mission For Michael Executive Director Anand Meta said.“Loneliness doesn’t take a holiday, but neither does hope – and the more we normalize these feelings, the easier it becomes to reach out, speak up, or simply take the pressure off a ‘perfect’ Christmas.”

Different explanations were given as the reason for being alone for the holidays. For example, 29 percent said they live too far from friends/family, 20 percent said they're staying away due to family conflict and 16 percent said they actually prefer to spend Christmas alone.

A quarter of respondents said that they feel lonely, 22 percent said they're sad and 37 percent simply feel indifferent, according to the study.

More than half of survey respondents said that we're living through a “silent epidemic” of holiday isolation. Some have made plans to make things feel festive like watching holiday movies, treating themselves with food, gifts or self-care, but 22 percent say they have no plan at all.

The study surveyed 3,001 U.S. adults and paired those results with census data on Americans who live alone to estimate how many expect to spend Christmas Day by themselves, according to A Mission For Michael. It was designed to reflect a balanced mix across age, gender, and geographic region, ensuring national representation, the group said. To maintain statistical accuracy, the research used a two-step approach: stratified sampling was employed to capture demographic variation, followed by post-stratification weighting to align responses with national population benchmarks. Conducted in December 2025, the study combines survey insights with state-level counts of adults living alone to reveal where the highest and lowest numbers of people are likely to spend Christmas without company.