Subsidise weddings to tackle loneliness – new report by the Centre for Social Justice

The Government should discount the wedding fees for those on low incomes in a bid to tackle the loneliness epidemic, says major new report.
 
‘Lonely Nation', a new report from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), calls on the Government to discount the administrative, legal and booking fees of weddings for first-time married couples in relative or absolute low income.  Those taking up the offer would be required to take part in pre-nuptial  sessions which are proven to have a significant benefit in the quality of relationships.
 
The CSJ recommends that subsidising marriage, up to a total of £550 per couple, and providing relationship support, will help combat rising loneliness and reduced rates of marriage. Taken together, the annual cost would be some £35 million a year, a fraction of the estimated £2.5bn price of loneliness to employers alone. 
 
The proposal comes as new polling, commissioned by the Centre for Social Justice and conducted by Whitestone Insight, reveals that half the country (50 per cent) believes that the financial cost of weddings is too high and puts them off marriage, even after finding the right person. This call comes amid polling showing that well over half of the country (58 per cent) admit to feeling lonely at least some of the time. Married people are less than half as likely to be lonely than singles and 9 percentage points less lonely than cohabiting couples.
 
Significantly, the overwhelming majority (79 per cent) of the public recognise family breakdown as a major cause of loneliness. The rises to 81 per cent of people who are divorced, separated and/or widowed.
 
Half the country (50 per cent) believes that marriage has become less important in society, and this has made the country lonelier as a result. This comes during the first year on record where less than half the adult population are married. However, despite this negative perception, marriage remains important to half the country, and they believe the Government should offer greater financial support to couples who get married. 
 
Loneliness is most likely to affect the younger generations, with more than two thirds (70 per cent) of 18–24-year-olds describing their generation as lonely, 25 per cent more than the national average.
 
Commenting on the new report, Josh Nicholson, Senior Researcher at the CSJ, said:
 
“Helping more people to get married by subsidising the bill for the those on the lowest incomes offers significant health, social and economic benefits for them and the taxpayer.
 
“Loneliness is a rapidly growing problem – a contributor to the mental health crisis – with more than 30 million people in the UK feeling lonely at least some of the time.  45 per cent of Brits say that they live in ‘lonely generation' – rising to 70 per cent of 18 – 24-year-olds. 
 
“Our research confirms that family relationships, and particularly marriage, are the best defence against loneliness as well as providing many more benefits over the long-term. Married couples report often feeling lonely just 4 per cent of the time, well below those who are cohabiting or single, while 35 per cent of adult say their family prevents them from being lonely.”
 
Jon Cruddas MP, writing the foreword for the report, says:
 
"The CSJ's new report “Left Behind and Lonely” finds that British families are uniquely fragile and complex and that decades of family breakdown have contributed to the rise of loneliness and isolation today. It considers subjects that others have shied away from, including asking if the decline in marriage has contributed to a rise in loneliness. The CSJ make a convincing case that family must be put at the heart of a refreshed strategy for tackling loneliness.”
 
The policy recommendations in the CSJ's new report, “Lonely Nation”, include:
 

1. Discount the administrative, legal and booking fees of weddings for first-time married couples in relative or absolute low income up to a total of £550 per couple in return for participating in a marriage preparation course.
2. A new Government Family Office and dedicated cabinet level Minister for Family.
3. A new relationship support and interventions strategy to be delivered by the third sector.
4. Move the High-Income Child Benefit Charge to a household-based system by April 2026 and commit to further review of the interaction of family and the fiscal system.
5. A refreshed loneliness strategy that puts strengthening family relationships at its heart.

ENDS
 
Note on the research:
 
“Lonely Nation: How family can help to end the loneliness crisis” is the first in a series of four reports to be published by the CSJ looking at different aspects of loneliness.
 
Polling was conducted by Whitestone Insight, which is regulated by the British Polling Council. A nationally representative sample of 2,066 adults were interviewed online between the dates 15^th to 16^thApril 2024.
 
Analysis of marital status and loneliness was conducted by the CSJ using a single logistic regression of data from Understanding Society Wave 13.