Loneliness beyond Covid-19 report published

The Campaign to End Loneliness has published Loneliness beyond Covid-19. The report found that Covid-19 exacerbated existing inequalities, meaning that groups already at risk of loneliness – such as those who were poorer, in worse health or from ethnic minorities – were at greater risk during the pandemic. They also found that if you were already lonely before the pandemic, you were likely to become even more lonely.

As a result of the report The Campaign to End Loneliness is calling for the Government to:

• Provide enough funding to maintain services and support for people experiencing chronic loneliness in the wake of the pandemic
• Ensure that support is particularly targeted at the most disadvantaged communities where loneliness is a particular risk.
• Take action and invest to ensure a ‘connected recovery’ – strengthening community capacity, with funding for green spaces, high streets and meeting places as well as transport and digital connectivity.

Robin Hewings, Programme Director of the Campaign, said: “Covid-19 has opened everyone’s eyes to loneliness, which is why a large majority of people in our survey agreed that loneliness will be a serious issue even beyond the pandemic. More of us have been touched by loneliness personally and it has opened up conversations about this serious issue. If we pay deliberate attention to loneliness as we try to build back better, we can support those who are already lonely and pursue a truly connected recovery.”

You can download the full report Loneliness beyond Covid-19 here.