Loneliness affects many, and it harms both individuals and communities. The project “The Social Isolation and Loneliness in Europe Network: Evidence-Based Policy Recommendations on its Causes, Consequences, and Monitoring” (LONELY-EU) is designed to combat this problem: Coordinated by Professor Maike Luhmann, a psychologist at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, an international consortium is devising methods for sharing knowledge and pooling expertise. The aim is to encourage decision-makers to develop targeted and fact-based measures to prevent and reduce loneliness. Starting February 1, 2025, the project will be funded by the European Commission for three years with around 3 million euros.

“Our aim is to strengthen the knowledge base on loneliness in Europe by identifying, collating and analyzing existing data and making it accessible to interested parties in a usable form,” explains Maike Luhmann. “This will help us understand which factors cause loneliness and what what impact it has, for example on the economy.” We know that 13 per cent of EU citizens report in studies that they have felt predominantly lonely in the past four weeks. Loneliness and social isolation have significant negative effects on mental and physical health to the point of increasing mortality. They are also harmful to communities, because they reduce trust in institutions, social participation and human productivity.

Based on the data analysis, the project participants aim to develop proposals for monitoring loneliness and a recommendation for its Europe-wide implementation. Ultimately, the project is expected to produce a network that functions as a dynamic platform for exchange and cooperation. “We plan to use it to develop recommendations for policymakers on effective measures to prevent and reduce loneliness,” concludes Maike Luhmann.