Scottish Household Survey measures Loneliness for the first time
18th September 2019
Scotland’s People Annual Report 2018 has produced statistics about loneliness in Scotland for the first time, providing valuable data for organisations seeking to tackle loneliness as well as highlighting the increased awareness of the impact loneliness has on health and wellbeing.
The snapshot (image above) from page 18 of the Key Findings provides a summary of the Full Report, which reveals more details about experiences of loneliness in Scotland on pages 95-97 and 105-108.
The trends in loneliness, according to the Survey, are as follows:
- 1/5 adults reported that they had experienced loneliness within the last week.
- Those more likely to experience loneliness were individuals with long term health or mental health conditions.
- While loneliness was not associated with a particular age group, it was more prevalent among adults living alone.
- Levels of loneliness were higher in deprived areas, although social isolation was not.
- Comparing urban to rural geographies, loneliness was highest in remote rural towns.
This data provides important information about which areas and demographics may need the most support for loneliness. It also provides a vital baseline against which future surveys can be compared.