Read: Connecting up communities

The months of January and February are traditionally the bleakest of the year. Many of us retreat behind closed doors to wait for the warmer days of spring to arrive. Some feel lonely because families and friends have gone home after the Christmas holiday. Some are lonely because they didn’t get any visitors in the first place.

We all have our own experiences of loneliness. It is no respecter of age or gender. It can affect children and new parents, young people, the elderly, employers and their employees, people with disabilities, refugees and carers. Even in densely populated places and in our very connected world, it is still an all-too-common story. And it can also leave deep and lasting marks on those who experience it.

As our population grows and changes, so does the demographic of those experiencing loneliness. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that while a higher percentage of women report loneliness compared to men, a greater number of men over 50 - 14% - report moderate to high levels of social isolation, compared to 11% of women. The number of older men living alone by 2030 is projected to be 1.5 million, an increase of 65%, so the problem is likely to grow.  

There is no doubt that the pandemic has had – and continues to have - a huge impact on loneliness, with over one million people becoming chronically lonely during its course. At a time when poor health has often been exacerbated by COVID-19, loneliness has been proven to have a direct effect on people’s health and wellbeing. It’s likely to increase the risk of death by 26% and increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke and of cognitive decline and dementia (Holt-Lunstad, 2015). 

The Jo Cox Loneliness Commission - which I founded and co-chaired – aimed to help turbocharge a policy response to address the problem, as well as to increase public understanding of it. Intended to build on Jo’s legacy of driving positive change, it is made up of thirteen organisations which work together to highlight the scale of loneliness throughout the lifecycle and across all areas of society. This month marks the fourth anniversary of the government response to recommendations made in the Commission’s report, Combating loneliness one conversation at a time, which included the appointment by the then Prime Minister, Theresa May, of the world’s first Minister for Loneliness.

Jo passionately believed that people have far more in common than we have differences. With that inspiration, the Jo Cox Foundation has been running The Great Get Together since 2017, getting people together from across the country to celebrate the belief that it is a sense of community which makes us. Over six million people took part in the last event in 2021, with 73% saying it made it easier to meet new people and 97% saying it made them feel happier. 

Research from the Foundation found that the vast majority of people, 77%, still believed there was a stigma around talking about loneliness, rising to 91% among young people. Only a quarter feel comfortable telling a friend or relative that they feel lonely, although 48% would feel positive if a friend or relative approached them for support. It is clear that we are happy to be there for someone we know but not comfortable asking for support ourselves.

The Great Winter Get Together being held this month is encouraging everyone to take action to reduce the stigma and normalise talking about loneliness, at the time of year when it can be worst. People can share their experiences, reach out to someone who is lonely, or bring people together by organising an event. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the people, projects and organisations that have kept us connected over the last year. Providing practical advice, and helping to forge those new connections, can make a real difference to people’s lives and to our communities.

Seema Kennedy OBE, Levelling Up Goals Co-Chair; former Minister for Public Health, Home Office Minister, and the Prime Minister's Parliamentary Private Secretary