Articles / One in Four Australians are Lonely, Which Affects Their Physical and Mental Health
One in four Australians are lonely, our new report has found, and it’s not just a problem among older Australians – it affects both genders and almost all age groups.
The Australian Loneliness Report, released today by my colleagues and I at the Australian Psychological Society and Swinburne University, found one in two (50.5%) Australians feel lonely for at least one day in a week, while more than one in four (27.6%) feel lonely for three or more days.
Our results come from a survey of 1,678 Australians from across the nation. We used a comprehensive measure of loneliness to assess how it relates to mental health and physical health outcomes.
We found nearly 55% of the population feel they lack companionship at least sometime. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Australians who are married or in a de facto relationship are the least lonely, compared to those who are single, separated or divorced.
While Australians are reasonably connected to their friends and families, they don’t have the same relationships with their neighbours. Almost half of Australians (47%) reported not having neighbours to call on for help, which suggests many of us feel disengaged in our neighbourhoods.
TIAs and Carotid Stenosis
Low libido - What is it & How is it Managed?
Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Infants – Practical Advice for HCPs
Using the New RSV Vaccine in Practice
Strongly support
Somewhat support
Neither support nor oppose
Somewhat oppose
Strongly oppose
Listen to expert interviews.
Click to open in a new tab
Browse the latest articles from Healthed.
You have completed the Educational Activities component of this resource.
Select ‘Confirm & claim CPD‘ to confirm you have engaged with this resource in its entirety and claim your CPD.
You will be taken to explore further CPD learning available to you.