fairness infographics loneliness v3 - european commission · fairness infographics_loneliness_v3...

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of all E uro p e a n s a g e d o v e r 1 5 Loneliness an unequally shared burden in Europe How lonely are Europeans? Population ageing, the rising number of people living alone and the increased use of digital technologies for communication have led many to posit that loneliness is on the rise. The European Commission's Joint Research Centre has analysed the incidence and the determinants of loneliness across Europe. 18% meet others at most once a month 7% frequently feel lonely Loneliness is measured with two indicators: Eastern and Southern Europeans are lonelier and more socially isolated than Western and Northern Europeans +40% HU • EL 8% ca NL • DK SE NL • DK 10% HU • CZ • IT PL • BE • EL DE • IE • SE FI 3% 4% 5% People not socialising more than once a month * People frequently feeling lonely * the least isolated the least lonely Socially isolated individuals are those who meet socially with friends, relatives or work colleagues at most once a month Lonely individuals are those who report feeling lonely ‘most of the time’, ‘almost all’ or ‘all of the time’ in the past week 1 2 *percentage of the populaion 35% ca LT • EE PL Joint Research Centre Joint Research Centre

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Page 1: Fairness infographics loneliness V3 - European Commission · Fairness infographics_loneliness_V3 Created Date: 11/14/2018 11:40:05 AM

of all Europeans age

d ove

r 15

Loneliness an unequally shared burden in Europe

How lonely are Europeans?

Population ageing, the rising number of people living alone and the increased use of digital technologies for communication have led many to posit that loneliness is on the rise.The European Commission's Joint Research Centre has analysed the incidence and the determinants of loneliness across Europe.

18% meet others at most once a month

7% frequently feel lonely

Loneliness is measured with two indicators:

Eastern and Southern Europeans are lonelier and more socially isolated than Western and Northern Europeans

+40%HU • EL

8% caNL • DK SE

NL • DK

10%HU • CZ • IT PL • BE • EL

DE • IE • SE

FI

3%

4%

5%

People not socialising more than once a month* People frequently feeling lonely*

the least isolated

the least lonely

Socially isolated individuals are those who meet socially with friends, relatives or work colleagues at most once a month

Lonely individuals are those who report feeling lonely ‘most of the time’, ‘almost all’ or ‘all of the time’ in the past week

1

2

*percentage of the populaion

35% caLT • EE

PL

JointResearchCentre

JointResearchCentre

Page 2: Fairness infographics loneliness V3 - European Commission · Fairness infographics_loneliness_V3 Created Date: 11/14/2018 11:40:05 AM

This study is part of a multi-year research project to analyse different aspects of fairness, including inter alia income inequality and other measureable inequalities, social mobility, social isolation, segregation and people's perceptions and attitudes regarding fairness. https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/research/crosscutting-activities/fairness/

poor health healthy

+65 years old 24-45years old

+9%percentage points

People in poor health, the unemployed and those with low incomes suffer more from loneliness

Elderly people may be more socially isolated but they are not feeling lonelier

Europeans living in cities are not any more lonely or isolated than everyone else

Individuals with poor health conditions are more likely to be frequently lonely*

The poor unemployed face a higher risk of frequent loneliness*

The proportion of people feeling lonely in rural areas is comparable to that in urban areas*

+10percentage points

unemployedand poor

+7percentage points

employedin the highest

income quintile

Nevertheless, they are not more likely to be frequently lonely

Elderly people are less likely to engage often in social activities*

poor healthmental

problems

poor cognitive performance

pessimistic judgments

threatened by life situations

socially inept

Why does loneliness matter?

Its mortality risks are comparable to those of obesity and smoking

Lonely people are more likely

to have

and to feel more

Lonely people are often stigmatised

as socially inept.

* all other individual characteristics are kept constant. Multivariate analyses have been used for calculations.