The EU Loneliness Survey - European Commission Skip to main content
An official website of the European UnionAn official EU website
EU Science Hub

The EU Loneliness Survey, conducted in November and December 2022, is the first EU-wide survey measuring loneliness through established multi-items scales. It also entails rich socio-demographic information of the respondents, and six additional modules covering a broad range of topics related to loneliness. Thereby, it provides an opportunity to evaluate the risk factors associated with loneliness, the potential consequences of loneliness and the level of awareness regarding existing programs and initiatives.

The survey consists of two samples: the EU27 and the EU4 samples. The EU27 sample is collected though a non-probabilistic online survey targeting the general population aged 16 and above in all 27 EU Member States. Data were collected for a total of 25,646 respondents, recruited from established consumer panels. The EU4 sample covers only four EU Member States (France, Italy, Poland and Sweden) and is drawn from online random probability-based panels. Data were collected for a 4,029 respondents aged 16 and above.

The microdata is available for research purposes and can be found in the JRC data repository together with the methodological report and the questionnaires of the two samples.

Key findings from the EU Loneliness Survey are presented in the book “Loneliness in Europe. Determinants, Risks and Interventions”. Selected findings from the survey were also presented in previous JRC publications on Loneliness as well as during the June 2023 conference “Loneliness in the European Union: Policies at work” in Brussels.

To find out more about the JRC's work on similar topics, explore the related JRC portfolios: