Trends in loneliness in 17 European countries between 2006 and 2015: A secondary analysis of data from the European Social Survey

Abstract

The present study analysed changes in loneliness between 2006 and 2015 and associated factors using publicly available data ( N = 128,718) from the European Social Survey from 17 countries. The study protocol was pre-registered on the Open Science Framework ( https://osf.io/eq63j/ ). Loneliness-weighted prevalence (and mean) decreased from 30% to 27% over time. The decreasing trend was significant for both sexes. Young and old age groups reported a decline in loneliness over time while other age groups did not. Loneliness did not demonstrate a significant decline – but rather a stable trend – in persons with disability and first- and second-generation immigrants. Sociodemographic characteristics, social factors, well-being and psychological distress were associated with loneliness. These findings update those from previous studies indicating that loneliness trends and differences between European regions might be better explained by differences in psychological distress.