Author: David Baker & The Australia Institute
Summary: Loneliness is the disconnect felt between desired interpersonal relationships and those that one perceives they currently have. While the subjective nature of this experience makes measuring loneliness difficult, understanding loneliness is important for the development of a range of social policies. The availability of longitudinal Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey data now makes it possible to track loneliness in Australia over the past decade.
This paper studies the long-term pattern of loneliness and identifies demographic characteristics and risk indicators associated with this experience and finds the incidence of loneliness in Australia is growing. The use of online social networking sites and how this may influence the experience and prevalence of loneliness is also explored.
Between 2001 and 2009 three out of ten Australians experienced loneliness. More tellingly, the proportion of people transitioning into, and out of, loneliness increased over this period, with 13 per cent experiencing repeat episodes of loneliness. An episode of loneliness was most likely to last for less than a year, however, for those whose experience extended beyond a year, it was more likely to last for three or more years. The proportion of Australians experiencing loneliness in any given year was fairly consistent at around one in ten people (9 per cent)I
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