London is suffering from a plague of chronic loneliness in the wake of the pandemic, a recent survey has revealed.

 Sixty-eight per cent of people living in the capital admitted to feeling lonely and believe that this is going to be a serious issue beyond Covid-19.

The report from the Office of National Statistics states that 7.2% or four million Britons often or always feel alone. Older generations are often believed to be most at risk but in fact 40 per cent of 18–25-year-olds feel lonely, compared to 27% of over-75s, according to another survey from the BBC called the Loneliness Experiment.

And the problem might be worse than the surveys indicate. Jenny Manchester, Communications Manager at the Campaign to End Loneliness says older people might be reluctant to admit to being lonely even when they are, as they feel there is a stigma around it.

Many factors can lead to loneliness including income, ethnic minority status, gender, and sexual orientation. Manchester said that her organisation fosters links with charities that connect with marginalised communities such as Stonewall, which provides support for LGBTQ+ people.

Celebrities can help combat loneliness. Manchester said: “Miley Cyrus publicly announced that she was a sufferer, and this awareness has helped reduce the social stigma.”

She also cited schemes such as those in the Netherlands where young and elderly people, the two loneliest groups, are “buddied up”. Students visit elderly care home residents, creating lasting bonds that could, in some cases, last a lifetime. This takes advantage of the loneliness “u-curve” where young and old are most likely to identify as lonely.

 Talking to This Is Local London, Sarah Van Putten, CEO of Befriending Networks said, "For those experiencing chronic (long lasting) loneliness the answers are less straightforward as they will often have a variety of barriers to connecting to their communities such as limited mobility, ageing, mental ill health, dementia, being a carer, disability etc.

"They will need more intensive support and possibly in their own home, for example Befriending support, which can provide a 1:1 visitor/volunteer each week. Maybe this will be the only visitor someone will have.

"Telephone befriending is also a way of connecting, and during the pandemic Zoom groups and digital afternoon teas have been successful.

"For some people digital support isn’t the answer and face to face visits or letters need to be available.”

The Government has developed a National Strategy that seeks to increase funding for loneliness prevention. According to former Prime Minister Theresa May, writing in the report A Connected Society, “Loneliness can affect anyone of any age and background - from an older person mourning the loss of a life partner to a young person who simply feels different and isolated from their friends.

“Furthermore, as our society continues to evolve, otherwise welcome advances can also increase the risk of loneliness. From working more flexibly but also often more remotely, to doing our shopping online, the warmth of human contact risks receding from our lives.” Here, the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced a series of methods to help combat chronic loneliness including the creation of a new ministerial role titled the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Civil Society and Loneliness. Part of this role is to develop the government’s anti-loneliness strategy and to co-ordinate the response with the devolved administrations and other services.

Social Prescribing where people are prescribed group activities instead of medicines is another option, according to Manchester. “Small acts of day-to-day kindness can also help,” she said.

The First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, has also announced that it was an aim of his government to have a counsellor in every GP practice, to free up GP time, and to positively impact the lives of the lonely.

Su Moore, the CEO of the Jo Cox Foundation, told me: “We know that people of all ages experience loneliness - in fact, 16-24 year olds are the loneliest age group in the UK – but many have experienced loneliness (or long-term loneliness) for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Going forwards, it's crucial that we reduce the stigma that comes with talking about loneliness so that people don't feel ashamed to share their experiences and get any support they need.”

 

If you’re feeling lonely, you can contact:

 

Marmalade Trust (marmaladetrust.org)

Silver Line (thesilverline.org.uk)

British Red Cross (redcross.org.uk/get-help/get-help-with-loneliness)

Befriending Networks (befriending.co.uk)

Lonely Not Alone (lonelynotalone.org)