Four out of ten Dutch people feel lonely

The news coincides with the start of Loneliness Week, which lasts until October 6. Loneliness is mainly experienced by single parents and single people. Children living with their parents, regardless of age, have felt severely lonely in the past year. Childless spouses are also lonelier than they were two years ago.

emotionally lonely

Teenagers indicate that they feel ’emotionally lonely’ more often. This means that they feel abandoned or do not have a close bond with others. CBS makes a distinction between emotional loneliness and ‘social loneliness’, a form of loneliness in which you feel the need to be more social.

Two years ago, people over 75 were very emotionally lonely. Other research by Statistics Netherlands previously showed that young people aged 18 to 25 feel more alone during the corona period than before.

The pandemic played a role

Loneliness has been a rapidly growing problem for years. Although the report did not explain why the Dutch felt more lonely, the coronavirus pandemic almost certainly played a role, according to CBS sociologist Tanja Traag. The single young people and the elderly in particular had a psychologically difficult time due to the social limitations of that time.

fight loneliness

Public Health Secretary Maarten van Ooijen announced on Wednesday that the cabinet will allocate an extra 40 million euros in the coming years to combat loneliness in society. He wrote to the House of Representatives: “The feeling of belonging and making a difference is a fundamental human need.” A small gesture can make all the difference, says the state secretary.