Friendship for Rent - Can friendship be monetized? Can money fight loneliness? - A quantitative study about monetary exchange for friendship as a possible solution to loneliness

Abstract: This report is investigating whether renting a friend could reduce the societal problem of loneliness. Is there a demand in Sweden for friendship rental? If yes, who and under which circumstances would someone engage in the monetary exchange for friendship? Through two surveys conducted for this thesis it can be concluded that people are not likely to rent a friend. However, it is found that people are more positive towards renting a friend if an intermediary is involved, and they are more likely to rent a friend for someone else than for themselves. Furthermore, this report proves that lonely people are more likely to engage in friendship rental compared to people not feeling lonely and lonely people also have a tendency of finding it more difficult to meet new friends in an everyday setting. Loneliness is stigmatized and admitting to loneliness and social isolation is difficult. This would be a potential reason why people are not willing to rent for oneself, but could consider doing it for someone else. The idea of renting a friend as a way of handling loneliness for others is not foreign, and especially if it is done through the state as an intermediary.