A new EU survey suggests that people in Ireland are the loneliest in Europe. 20% of people surveyed in Ireland (from a sample of approximately 1,000) reported feeling lonely “most or all of the time” over the past four weeks preceding the study.
The first EU-wide loneliness survey was carried out across all 27 EU member states, with data collected from an online consumer panel.
Loneliness, which was described in the report as a subjective feeling and defined as an unmet need in relation to the qualification and quantity of social interactions, is widely recognized as one of the most significant health concerns for society today, the EU said.
The survey, which was conducted by the European Union’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), in collaboration with the European Parliament and the European Commission Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion, targeted the general population aged 16 years and over, asking them about loneliness between November and December 2022.
EU-LS 2022 found that on average, 13% of respondents reported feeling lonely “most or all of the time” over the past four weeks, while 35% reported being lonely at least some of the time.
According to EU-LS 2022 loneliness was “most prevalent” in Ireland with over 20% of respondents reporting feeling lonely. Luxembourg, Bulgaria and Greece follow.
By contrast, the lowest levels of loneliness were reported by respondents in the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Croatia, and Austria, all with less than 10% of those surveyed reporting feeling lonely.
A similar geographical pattern was already observed for data collected during the pandemic.
The survey also found that the prevalence of loneliness decreased with increased age, income, and education.
It also said that having several meaningful relationships is linked with lower levels of loneliness, but stated that the frequency of contact was also important.
It found that those experiencing major life events, including separation, job loss, or finishing their studies, are often more lonely. The data also found that feelings of loneliness were broadly the same amongst the 25,000 men and women surveyed.
According to the EU-LS 2022 survey, the difference in rates of loneliness can be attributed to cultural differences among member states, along with demographic differences and even possibly sampling differences. While the findings were presented on Tuesday in Brussels, a methodological report and the survey questionnaire will be published in autumn 2023.
Data were collected for a total of 25,646 respondents, who were recruited from established consumer panels. Approximately 1,000 [people responded per country, except for Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta, where there were 503, 370 and 529 respondents respectively, authors note.
The research included established loneliness scales, socio-demographic details of the respondents, and six additional modules which covered a wide range of topics in relation to loneliness.
The JRC said that the study would offer an opportunity to evaluate different risk factors associated with loneliness, the level of awareness regarding existing programmes and initiatives to tackle loneliness, the perceived roles of various factors, as well as what steps people experiencing loneliness can take to alleviate feelings of loneliness..
Concluding the report, authors said that the number and quality of social relationships are important to an individual, along with having several close friends and family – which will lower the chances of experiencing loneliness. Being single is better than being in an unhappy relationship, it was also noted.