Loneliness in the EU : insights from surveys and online media data. (2024)

Research shows that loneliness and social isolation have harmful repercussions on mental and physical health, as well as significant consequences for social cohesion and community trust. Both loneliness and social isolation are therefore increasingly recognised as critical public health issues that deserve attention and need to be addressed with effective intervention strategies. The COVID-19 pandemic has also dramatically reshaped Europeans’ lives and social practices. Mobility restrictions and social distancing measures adopted to contain the spread of the virus have prompted public discussions about the unintended side effects of such arrangements, particularly in the form of loneliness and social isolation. Some fear that the toll of loneliness could have consequences long after the virus recedes. This report offers an overview of the current state of knowledge on loneliness and social isolation in the EU. It presents the main findings of two empirical analyses carried out by the JRC using two complementary sources of information, namely survey and online data. The analysis based on survey data offers a picture of recent trends in self-reported levels of loneliness across the EU and identifies the prevailing socio-demographic and geographical characteristics associated with loneliness before and during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey data show that the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the problem. The proportion of respondents that felt lonely frequently doubled following the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, young adults were hit more severely. The analysis based on online data looks at trends in online media reporting on loneliness and social isolation between January 2018 and January 2021. The volume of articles on these topics is measured on a monthly basis and by Member State, and the collected articles are analysed in depth to identify the prevailing sentiments contained in them and detect patterns in the underlying narratives. Online media reporting on loneliness and social isolation has doubled during the pandemic. Narratives largely concerned the health consequences of loneliness. The analysis of online media reporting catalogues also typologies and examples of policy initiatives aimed at combating loneliness and social isolation. Public initiatives vary across Member States. Overall, most interventions are designed at local level and are rarely part of more systematic programmes.

• Published: 2021
• Corporate author(s): Joint Research Centre (European Commission)
• Personal author(s): Baarck, Julia ; Balahur, Alexandra ; Cassio, Laura ; d’Hombres, Béatrice ; Pásztor, Zsuzsanna ; Tintori, Guido
• Themes: Social sciences research
• Subject: epidemic , health risk , mass media , mental health , research report , social impact , social integration , social life , social survey

• Released on EU Publications: 2021-07-23

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