Survey Paints Bleak Picture of Loneliness

One-third of Americans age 50 to 80 say they lack companionship some of the time or often. Sixty percent of those living alone say so. Those are just two takeaways from a new survey that paints a somewhat bleak picture of connectedness in this country, including links to poorer health. Among the findings:

As I reported recently, loneliness is a growing problem here and around the world, and it’s fueling its own health crisis — an epidemic, some health experts say—as living alone has been shown to be a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease and shorter lives.

The new survey, called the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging, was conducted in October and released March 4, 2019. Without determining cause and effect, it illustrates how loneliness is linked to frequency of visits from loved ones, a sense of isolation, and health factors. Among the findings not shown in the graph above:

• Less loneliness was reported by those who said they ate healthy diets, exercised, or slept plenty.
• Women were more likely to lack companionship than men (36 percent vs. 31 percent).
• Those age 50–64 felt more socially isolated than those age 65–80 (that finding is consistent with other research, surprising at it may seem).

People more likely to report a lack of companionship included those who…

• Don’t work
• Have children in the home
• Earn less than $60,000 (for the household)
• Have hearing loss

There are things you can do to make the world a less lonely place.

“Encouraging and supporting meaningful social connections and more frequent interactions — through activities such as volunteerism, participation in community or religious groups, or home visiting programs — may help mitigate loneliness and its associated health challenges,” the researchers said in a statement.

Your actions could be as simple as knocking on an elderly neighbor’s door.

“These results indicate the importance of proactively reaching out to those in your community who may be at risk of feeling isolated and disconnected, especially those with or at risk of health issues,” said Erica Solway, a co-director of the poll.