This year was the loneliest year for the UK, according to new
analysis.
This Christmas, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has revealed
that the Government's own figures paint a shocking world where
Brits face a holiday period empty of friends and family.
This comes as CSJ analysis has shown that nearly a quarter of
adults, 22 per cent, feel existentially lonely and fundamentally
separated from the rest of the world. Nearly half of adults, 47
per cent, do not believe that most people are happy.
According to the polling from Whitestone Insight, loneliness
rises to nearly six in ten adults feeling lonely most, often or
some of the time. This means as many as 32 million adults could
feel alone and isolated over the Christmas period.
Lonely Nation, a worrying new report from the Centre for Social
Justice, says that “loneliness is endemic and getting worse. It
leaves lives marked by sadness and despair, without the
fundamental relationships essential for true flourishing.”
In a shockingly Scrooge-like world view, fewer than half of
adults (44 per cent) think that most people can be trusted.
It goes on to warn that “loneliness is a public health emergency.
The effects of loneliness and social isolation have been shown
comparable to smoking, obesity and physical inactivity.”
In addition to the human cost, loneliness is costing the
taxpayer billions of pounds. The impact of loneliness on the
workforce has been estimated to cost employers £2.5 billion per
year (including health outcomes, depression and lost
productivity), whilst wellbeing, health and work
productivity costs associated with severe loneliness are as much
as £10,000 per person per year.
The CSJ is calling on the Government to give the public the gift
of happiness this Christmas. To finish wrapping up a new
loneliness strategy that tackles the root causes of the
loneliness epidemic.
It recommends a strategy that focuses on four key areas:
strengthening family relationships, tackling the acute causes of
loneliness among older people, ensuring planning reform delivers
good quality, well-designed communities, and responding to
increasing poverty, particularly the relationship between
loneliness and surging food bank use.
Josh Nicholson, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Social
Justice, said:
“For lots of people, Christmas is the happiest part of the year.
It is when we are most likely to be spending time with our
friends and families.
“However, for too many of us this is the worst of times. For the
lonely, the Christmas season is a painful reminder of their own
isolation.
“Instead of goodwill and festive cheer, it is a month full of
emptiness and loneliness.
“More must be done by the Government in 2025 to tackle this
epidemic of loneliness.”
ENDS
Whitestone surveyed 2,066 UK adults online between 15th and 16th
April 2024. Data were weighted to be representative of all UK
adults. Whitestone is a member of the British Polling Council and
abides by its rules. National Population projections by single
year of age, projected year 2024, via Nomis, October 2024.
Government figures released this month that show loneliness is
worse than ever come from the 2023/24 release of the Community
Life Survey which show that the percentage of people who feel
lonely often or always is higher than ever before (7% of people,
approximately 3.1 million people in England).
