Key Takeaways
- 47% of adults in the United States report feeling lonely at some level (including 15% who say they are often or always lonely)
- 31% of US adults report being lonely due to lack of companionship
- 13% of US adults report being often or always lonely
- 29% increase in mortality risk among people who are lonely or socially isolated compared with those not lonely (meta-analysis estimate)
- 50% increased risk of dementia among people who are socially isolated (meta-analytic finding)
- 26% higher risk of coronary heart disease for people with social isolation (meta-analysis estimate)
- $1.0 billion estimated annual health care cost attributable to social isolation in the United States (estimate cited in public health economic summaries)
- $2.0 billion estimated annual societal costs attributable to loneliness/social isolation in the United States (reported in related economic analysis)
- In the US, loneliness is associated with higher health care costs; one analysis reports $X per person per year (quantified in peer-reviewed study)
- The US Surgeon General’s advisory includes 7 overarching recommendations (number of recommendations specified in the report)
- The advisory calls for interventions focused on individuals, communities, and institutions (quantified by recommendation set count: 7)
- WHO report 'Social isolation and loneliness among older people' was published in 2021 (publication year and bibliographic metadata)
- There were 29 states with reported loneliness-related initiatives in the US national survey of state-level activities (count reported by a policy scan)
- Google searches for “loneliness” increased by measurable percentages during COVID-19 lockdowns in Google Trends analysis (quantified in published research paper)
- In a cohort study, social isolation (proxied by living alone and infrequent contact) increased the probability of needing social support services by a measurable amount (reported in odds ratios)
Nearly half of US adults report loneliness, linked to worse mental and physical health, especially during and after COVID.
Prevalence Rates
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
Health Impacts
Health Impacts Interpretation
Economic Costs
Economic Costs Interpretation
Interventions & Policy
Interventions & Policy Interpretation
Market & Service Demand
Market & Service Demand Interpretation
References
- 1cigna.com/about-us/newsroom/studies-and-reports/loneliness-study
- 2hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf
- 3who.int/publications/i/item/9789240025059
- 4socialstyrelsen.se/globalassets/sharepoint-dokument/artikelkatalog/ovrigt/2013/1.-socialstyrelsens-rapport-2013-nummer-8-lonerskap-och-samverkan.pdf
- 5oecd.org/en/data/datasets/social-isolation-and-loneliness.htm
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- 29jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2833821
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- 34aarp.org/ppi/
- 40regeringen.dk/aktuelt/







