Lows of loneliness

Latest data on wellbeing impact

NEW ANALYSIS from the Office for National Statistics has highlighted the impact that feeling lonely can have on an individual’s wellbeing - and its findings are troubling. The report, based on an Opinions and Lifestyle Survey carried out between April 3 and May 3, found the equivalent of 7.4 million people said their wellbeing was affected through feeling lonely in the first month of lockdown. Those experiencing both chronic loneliness and lockdown loneliness were more likely to report feeling stressed or anxious, strain on personal relationships, having no one to talk to about their problems and an impact on their mental health.

Since 2014, The Yorkshire Post has been campaigning to raise awareness of loneliness, which can be as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. This latest data is yet further evidence of how important it is to reach out and support those who, for whatever reason, feel cut off from their family and community, to ensure they are not forgotten and left struggling alone - and that is perhaps never more vital than now, in an unprecedented period, which has left us all distanced from others outside our households.

With many people experiencing loneliness during the coronavirus pandemic, Minister for Loneliness Baroness Diana Barran told this newspaper in April that convincing people of the scale of the issue had become “less of a battle”. Yet, recognition is only part of the puzzle. What is needed, as the Baroness rightly set out, is a greater understanding of what is working to help address loneliness. Only then can its impact, including on wellbeing, truly be mitigated.