Headline Findings. Loneliness Study. 12 th November Compiled by ComRes in conjunction with The Silver Line

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1 Headline Findings Loneliness Study 12 th November 2013 Compiled by ComRes in conjunction with The Silver Line

2 METHODOLOGY ComRes interviewed 1,126 GB adults aged 55 and over by telephone between 11th and 27th October Data were weighted to be representative of all GB adults aged 55+ by age, gender and region. Figures marked with an asterisk (*) reflect results based on a low base size (n=<100). These results should be treated with caution, and only taken to be indicative, rather than definitive. Guidelines for the Public Use of Survey Results ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules ( This commits us to the highest standards of transparency. The BPC s rules state that all data and research findings made on the basis of surveys conducted by member organisations that enter the public domain must include reference to the following: The company conducting the research (ComRes) The client commissioning the survey Dates of interviewing Method of obtaining the interviews (e.g. in-person, post, telephone, internet) The universe effectively represented (all adults, voters etc.) The percentages upon which conclusions are based Size of the sample and geographic coverage. Published references (such as a press release) should also show a web address where full data tables may be viewed, and they should also show the complete wording of questions upon which any data that has entered the public domain are based. All press releases or other publications must be checked with ComRes before use. ComRes requires 48 hours to check a press release unless otherwise agreed. 2

3 TOPLINE FINDINGS Objectives To explore how widespread feelings of loneliness are among older people and to find out what are the most effective remedies. Summary The majority of Britons aged 55+ think that there is not enough support available to people who feel lonely (57%). When asked directly, 15% of older people admit that they often feel lonely. Based on the population of 17.3 million British people aged 55+ from the 2011 Census, this equates to more than 2.5 million older people in Britain often feeling lonely. Given that the survey also reveals that there is a considerable stigma attached to admitting loneliness, this figure may be the tip of the iceberg. For those who say they feel lonely at times, the activity thought to be most helpful is having a chat on the phone (87%). However 1 in 4 older people (25%) either never or not very often have a chat on the phone. And 1 in 3 older people (34%) either never or not very often meet up for an outing with friends or family (34%). The three most helpful activities to reduce loneliness according to people who feel lonely either often or occasionally are a chat on the phone (87%), followed by a chat over a meal (83%) and then, exercise (68%). Of the 15% of older people who admit to feeling lonely often, three in five of them (60%) say they have never discussed their feelings with their family, the most common reason being because they don t want to trouble their family or be burden (47%*). There is a stigma about admitting to being lonely. Among older people who say they often feel lonely, 84% say it is difficult to admit it to other people. The same percentage of the total population of people aged 55+ (84%) agree that it is often difficult for older people to say they feel lonely because they don t want to be a burden. 3

4 There is a way of measuring loneliness even when people are reluctant to admit it. Academic experts researching the extent of loneliness among different populations have established a scale to measure the symptoms of loneliness because they recognise that many people will be reluctant to admit to being lonely, if asked directly. Using this scale1, more than half of older people in the UK (57%) say they experience at least 3 out of the total of 6 symptoms. 49% of them say they are missing having people around, 30% say they feel a general sense of emptiness and 18% report often feeling rejected. People aged 75 and older are the most likely to experience the sign of loneliness with 60% of them saying they can relate to three or more of the statements. 1The De Jong Gierveld loneliness scale. J. de Jong Gierveld & T.G. van Tilburg (2006), A 6-item scale for overall, emotional, and social loneliness: Confirmatory tests on survey data, Research on Aging, 28, To what extent, if at all, can you relate to each of these statements? For each please state yes relate a great deal; yes relate a little; no cannot really relate; or no cannot relate at all. [Answers can be Don t know.] I miss having people around I sometimes experience a general sense of emptiness I often feel rejected There are many people I can trust completely There are plenty of people I can rely on when I have problems There are enough people I feel close to Secret Loneliness - 15% of older people admit be being lonely. However, 57% of all older people experience at least half of the symptoms identified by academics as being associated with loneliness. The gap between these figures could be ascribed to the stigma of loneliness. Of those who say they do not often feel lonely when asked directly, 51% score 3 or more on the de Gierveld scale. 4

5 Results Current Experiences Although a large majority say they often have different forms of contact with friends and family, a quarter of older people (25%) say that they only get to have a chat on the phone either never or not very often. Q: How often do you do the following with a member of your family or with a friend? Options Very often Quite often Not very often Never NET: Often NET: Not often / never A chat on the phone 37% 37% 22% 3% 74% 25% Meet up for an outing, for example, a walk in the park or a trip to the shops 29% 37% 24% 10% 66% 34% Have a meal 22% 40% 32% 5% 63% 37% Base: All GB adults aged 55+ (n=1,126) o Men are more likely than women to say they don t have as much contact with members of their family or friends in each of the situations asked about. A third of men (33%) say they have a chat on the phone either never or not very often, compared to 19% of women. Men are also more likely than women to have a meal with friends/family never or not very often (Men: 41%, Women: 34%) and to meet up for outings never or not very often (Men: 39%, Women: 30%). o Although two thirds of people aged 55+ (66%) get to meet up for outings such as a walk in the park or a trip to the shops, one in ten older people (10%) never get to do so. 5

6 Types of activities done very / quite often 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% A chat on the phone 73% 73% 79% Have a meal 67% 63% 57% Meet up for an outing 56% 69% 70% Base: All GB adults aged 55+ (n=1,126) o As the table above shows, those aged 75+ are slightly more likely than people aged to have chats on the phone, but perhaps due to the mobility issues associated with advanced age, are less likely to meet up with people outside of the house, either for a meal or an outing. This may demonstrate the importance of telephone conversations to people as they become older. o It should be noted that the over 75s are also more polarised than the other age groups. As well as being more likely to have a chat on the phone often, they are also more likely never to have a chat on the phone (5%, compared to 55-64: 2%, 65-74: 4%). Nine in ten older people (91%) have had a good chat with someone either in person or over the phone in the past week, but a small minority (4%) experience more serious social isolation having not had a good chat for more than a month. Q: When was the last time you had a good chat with someone, either in person or over the phone? Was it in the last week, longer than a week ago but in the last month, or longer than a month ago? Options % In the last week 91% Longer than a week ago but in the last month 5% More than a month ago 4% Base: All GB adults aged 55+ (n=1,126) 6

7 Loneliness o For only 4%, the last time they had a good chat with someone was longer than a month ago. However, based on a population of 17.3 million British people aged 55 and over from the 2011 Census, this would suggest that there is more than 600,000 older people in Britain who have not had a good chat with someone else for more than a month. Men (6%) are more likely than women (2%) to say that the last time they had a good chat with someone else was more than a month ago. More than one in seven older people (15%) say that they often feel lonely. Q: How often, if at all, would you say that you feel lonely? Would you say that you feel lonely very often, quite often, not very often or never? Options % Very often 5% Quite often 10% Not very often 39% Never 47% NET: Often 15% NET: Not very often / never 85% Base: All GB adults aged 55+ (n=1,126) o Roughly half of older people (47%) say they never feel lonely, while a further 39% say they do not feel lonely very often. However, one in ten (10%) say they feel lonely quite often and one in twenty (5%) say they feel lonely very often. o Based on the population of 17.3 million British people aged 55+ from the 2011 Census, this still equates to 2.5 million older people in Britain often feeling lonely. o One in five people aged 75 and over say they often feel lonely (19%). This compares to 13% of people age and 12% of those who say the same. o There also appears to be class differences, with people from social grades C2 (18%) and DE (19%) more likely to say they are often lonely than people from social grades AB (9%) and C1 (13%). This is despite symptoms of loneliness being experienced broadly consistently across all social grades. 7

8 Although a relatively small proportion of older people say that they are often lonely (15%), symptoms of loneliness are comparatively widespread - half of older people (49%) say they miss having people around and three in ten (30%) say they sometimes experience a general sense of emptiness. Q: To what extent, if at all, can you relate to each of these statements? For each please state yes relate a great deal; yes relate a little; no cannot really relate; or no cannot relate at all. Options Yes relate a great deal Yes relate a little No cannot really relate No cannot relate at all Don t know NET: Can relate NET: Cannot relate I miss having people around I sometimes experience a general sense of emptiness 26% 23% 20% 29% 2% 49% 49% 10% 21% 16% 53% 1% 30% 69% I often feel rejected 6% 12% 19% 62% 1% 18% 81% Base: All GB adults aged 55+ (n=1,126) o Just more than one in six older people (18%) say they often feel rejected. o People aged 75+ (38%) are more likely than people aged (28%) and (27%) to say that they can relate to sometimes experiencing a general sense of emptiness. o Despite men being more likely than women to have little contact with other people, experiences of symptoms of emotional loneliness are broadly consistent between genders. This may imply that some men have a higher threshold of loneliness, which sees them require less social contact to keep them from experiencing symptoms of loneliness. 8

9 One in seven older people (14%) say that there are not many people that they can trust completely. Q: To what extent, if at all, can you relate to each of these statements? For each please state yes relate a great deal; yes relate a little; no cannot really relate; or no cannot relate at all. Options Yes relate a great deal Yes relate a little No cannot really relate No cannot relate at all Don t know NET: Can relate NET: Cannot relate There are many people I can trust completely There are plenty of people I can rely on when I have problems There are enough people I feel close to 57% 29% 8% 5% 1% 85% 14% 68% 21% 6% 4% 1% 89% 10% 71% 22% 4% 2% 1% 93% 6% Base: All GB adults aged 55+ (n=1,126) o One in seven older people (14%) say that there are not many people that they can trust completely and one in ten (10%) say that there are not plenty of people they can rely on when they have problems. Meanwhile a small but noticeable proportion (6%) say there are not enough people that they feel close to. However, it should be noted that across all three sentiments, large majorities do say can relate to them (85%, 89% and 93% respectively), suggesting that they are not feelings experienced universally among all older people. 9

10 Three in five older people (57%) experience at least three different signs of loneliness from the De Jong Gierveld loneliness scale. This is far higher than the proportion admitting that they often feel lonely (15%). Number of signs of loneliness experienced Yes relate a great deal None 0% One or more 100% Two or more 98% Three or more 57% Four or more 19% Five or more 3% Six 0% Interestingly, people aged are much less likely than either older or younger people in the target age group to experience at least half of signs of loneliness from the scale. 51% of people aged 65-75, do compared to 59% of people aged and 60% of people aged 75 and over. Men and women score similarly on the loneliness scale (Mean score: Men: 2.78, Women: 2.76). People aged 75+ have a slightly higher mean score than younger groups (55-64: 2.79, 65-74: 2.68, 75+: 2.84). 10

11 Stigma The majority of older people (60%) who say they often feel lonely have never discussed these feelings with their family. Q: Have you ever discussed feeling lonely with anyone in your family? No 60% Yes 40% Base: All GB adults aged 55+ saying they feel lonely either very often or quite often (n=159) o Three in ten Britons aged 55+ who often feel lonely (60%) have never discussed this with their family. This compares two in five (40%) who have discussed it with their family. o Men and women are equally likely to have discussed it with their family (both 40%*), but people aged 75+ (69%*) are nominally less likely to have done so than people aged (51%*). 11

12 The most common reason for older people not mentioning feeling lonely to their family is because they do not want to make a fuss or be a burden (47%*). Q: Why have you not discussed this with anyone in your family? Options % Because I don t want to make a fuss / don t want to trouble them / be a burden Because the subject is embarrassing / don t want to talk about it 47% 11% Because there is so little time / they are busy 7% Because I rarely / never see them 6% Other 27% Don t know 6% Base: All GB adults aged 55+ saying they feel lonely either very often or quite often, and have not discussed feeling lonely with their family (n=95*) o The low base size (n=95) means that results can only be indicative and not definitive, but amongst those saying they have not discussed feeling lonely with their family, the most common reason for this is because they do not want to make a fuss, trouble their family or be a burden (47%*). o This is broadly consistent with other findings from the survey, for example 84% of people aged 55+ say it is often difficult for older people to admit feeling lonely o Women are more likely than men to cite not wanting to make a fuss (57%* vs 34%*), but men (22%*) are much more likely than women (1%*) to say they have not discussed it with their family because the subject is embarrassing or they just generally do not want to talk about it. 12

13 More than half of older people say that feeling lonely is difficult to admit to other people (55%), including 84% of those who often feel lonely. Q: Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? Options Agree Disagree It is often difficult for older people to say they feel lonely because they don t want to be a burden Don t know 84% 13% 4% It is difficult to admit to other people that you feel lonely I think that there is enough support available to people who feel lonely 55% 39% 6% 32% 57% 11% Base: All GB adults aged 55+ (n=1,126) o More than four in five people who often feel lonely agree that it is difficult to admit to other people that they feel lonely (84%). This compares to just half (50%) of people who do not often feel lonely who say the same. This suggests that although the sense of stigma surrounding loneliness is understood by many older people generally, it is especially keenly felt amongst those who feel lonely themselves. o The vast majority of people aged 55+ (84%) say that it is often difficult for older people to say they feel lonely because they don t want to be a burden. Just one in eight (13%) disagree. o Nearly three in five older people (57%) say that there is not enough support available to people who feel lonely, compared to a third (32%) who say that there is enough. o Women (62%) are more likely than men (51%) to say that there is not enough support available. o However, people aged 75+ (40%) are more likely than younger age groups (55-64: 31%, 65-74: 25%) to say that there is enough support available, suggesting that they may have more help targeted at them already. Nevertheless, more people aged 75+ still say there is not enough support available (46%) than say there is enough support (40%). 13

14 Solutions Of the potential solutions asked about, a chat on the phone (87%) is considered the most helpful activity amongst those who feel lonely, with more than half (56%) finding it very helpful. Q: Thinking about when you feel lonely, how helpful or otherwise do you think you would find each of the following activities? Would you find it very helpful, fairly helpful, not very helpful or not at all helpful? Options Very helpful Fairly helpful Not very helpful Not at all helpful Don t know NET: Helpful NET: Not helpful A chat on the phone 56% 31% 10% 2% 1% 87% 12% A chat over a meal 50% 32% 10% 7% 1% 83% 17% Exercise 38% 30% 15% 14% 3% 68% 29% Shopping 29% 30% 24% 14% 3% 58% 38% Volunteering 33% 24% 22% 17% 4% 56% 39% Some form of employment 32% 20% 19% 26% 4% 52% 44% Base: All GB adults aged 55+ saying they feel lonely either very often, quite often or not very often (n=598) There is a clear gender divide amongst those who feel lonely. More than nine in ten females (93%) say that they find a chat on the phone helpful when they feel lonely, contrasting with four fifths of males (80%) who say the same. o Males are just as likely to say that a chat over a meal (80%) is helpful when they feel lonely as a chat on the phone. Nine in ten of those aged and 75+ who feel lonely say that they would find a chat on the phone helpful (both 89%), compared with 85% of those aged

15 FURTHER INFORMATION For more information please contact: Adam Ludlow Research Analyst Political &Media Team