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Despite the hyper-connectedness of the modern world, loneliness and isolation are still very much with us.
An analysis of Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) data from 2001 to 2017 has found more than one in six people report feeling lonely in any given year — and a staggering 1.5 million people have been lonely for a decade or more.
The report's authors say lonely people are at risk of premature mortality at rates comparable with other well-established risk factors, including lack of physical activity, obesity, substance abuse, poor mental health, injury and violence.
Alison Brooks, the national executive officer of Relationships Australia, said loneliness was a pressing public health issue.
But how do you define loneliness?
Ms Brooks said the report, An epidemic of loneliness 2001-2017, looked at several levels of loneliness in the HILDA surveys, from the subjective — whether the person was feeling the "emotional discomfort" we identify as being lonely — to objective measures of social connectedness gauged through a series of questions.
"There was a single loneliness question, which was about that subjective sense of how you're feeling," she said, "[and] a set of 10 questions [about] those more objective things, you know: 'I often need help from people but I can't get it'; 'People don't come to visit me as often as I'd like.'"
The HILDA survey, funded by the Federal Government through the Department of Social Services, is described on The Melbourne Institute website as a household-based panel study that collects valuable information about economic and personal wellbeing, labour market dynamics, and family life. It follows the lives of more than 17,000 Australians each year over the course of their lifetimes.
Although the data did show "a small but steady decline" in overall rates of loneliness — from 21 per cent in 2001 to 16 per cent in 2009 — rates have remained relatively stable at a troubling 17 per cent for the past seven years.
The report also found that the number of people reporting a lack of social support remained consistent over the past 10 years at approximately 9.5 per cent.
However, Ms Brooks pointed out, what was growing was awareness of how damaging that could be.
"It's also shown to be associated with poor cardio health, and in fact very clearly quantified in some research out of the University of Queensland earlier this year [as] actually cutting your life short," she said.
Variations along gender and age lines
Although women reported higher subjective feelings of loneliness, according to Ms Brooks, the report showed a higher average experience of a lack of social support for men at all times.
And some of the most troubling spikes of super loneliness were seen amongst men, she said, particularly between the ages of 45 and 64, and in certain categories.
"Single, male parents are very lonely — 40 per cent are reporting being lonely," she said.
"Then you've got men who are unemployed, and men who are on income-support benefits, are very, very lonely."
Age was also a significant factor, with emotional loneliness rates increasing after the age of 64 and reaching their highest level of 19 per cent in people aged 75 years and over, the report said.
Interestingly, the highest rates of social isolation for women emerged in the 25-29 age group.
And there were subtle discrepancies along both gender and age.
Men and women who lost their partner before the age of 65 reported higher levels of loneliness than those whose partner died after 65.
"If you think that through, you could think that perhaps that was an unexpected tragedy, or something that was less expected than people who have been married well into their later years," Ms Brooks said.
'Stay connected' to beat loneliness
So what can be done to beat loneliness?
Ms Brooks recommended a rigorous grass roots approach:
"Make people feel like they belong where they are," she said.
She said there were three general principles.
First of all, she said, look after your family relationships.
"Immediate family, extended family — keep them well, keep them healthy, and stay connected," she said.
"Lean into the difficult times because every family has difficult times."
Second, she said, look out for the people in your community.
"There's things that we can all do with the neighbours who live around us, and we all know where there are people living alone," she said.
"Sometimes they're prickly, sometimes they're hard, but even if it's just a wave, that's important."
Finally, join special interest groups, she said, and the more the better, citing research out of the University of Queensland showing that joining one interest group benefitted your health.
"If you join two, this is how much better you'll be. If you join three or more, you're laughing," she said.
Topics: mental-health, emotions, health, relationships, health-policy, australia
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