The JRC collected EU-wide data on loneliness in 2022 - the EU Loneliness Survey. The survey provides a comparative assessment of the prevalence of loneliness in EU countries.
The survey includes established loneliness scales, rich socio-demographic details of the respondents, and six additional modules covering a broad range of topics related to loneliness. It provides an opportunity to evaluate the risk factors associated with loneliness, the potential consequences of loneliness, the level of awareness regarding existing programs and initiatives, the perceived roles of various actors, as well as the "demand side" - for example, what steps do lonely individuals take to alleviate their loneliness.
The survey was conducted in November and December 2022 and targeted 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, with approximately 1,000 respondents per country except for Cyprus, Luxemburg and Malta (503, 370 and 529 respondents respectively).
The data based on the EU-LS survey will be published in 2024 with the launch of the book “'Loneliness in Europe. Determinants, Risks and Interventions”.
The findings based on the EU Loneliness Survey were presented during the conference “Loneliness in the European Union: Policies at work” in Brussels, on June 6th 2023.
