Loneliness in Canada
People living in Canada, enjoy some of the highest life expectancies in the World. Yet, loneliness has been identifed as a critical public health issue. Keep scrolling to see some of the key resources about loanliness in Canada.
Angus Reid (2019)
A Portrait of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Canada today
Survey Results
Primary finding: This article presents data on loneliness and social isolation in Canada from a Cardus-Reid Study. Results show (1) Fully six-in-ten Canadians (62%) say they would like their friends and family to spend more time with them, while only 14 per cent of Canadians would describe the current state of their social lives as “very good,” (2) that faith-based activities, such as praying, church attendance and community outreach, are correlated with less isolation for individuals who partake in them.
Ospina et al. (2020)
Loneliness and Social Connections
Editorial
Primary finding: This article reviews key data related to loneliness and its affect on happiness and material wellbeing.
Gilmour et al. (2020)
Social isolation and mortality among Canadian seniors
Statistics Canada Report
Primary finding: This report examines an objective and a subjective measure of social isolation and their associations with mortality for Canadian seniors aged 65 or older. These results suggest that social isolation is associated with greater mortality.
Tang et al. (2020)
Living alone in Canada
Statistics Canada Report
Primary finding: This study uses the Census of Population and the 2017 General Social Survey on Family to examine the characteristics of the population living alone in Canada. One key finding is that the number of persons living alone in Canada has more than doubled over the last 35 years, from 1.7 million in 1981 to 4.0 million in 2016. Solo dwellers represented 14% of the population aged 15 and over living in private households in 2016, up from 9% in 1981.
British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (2019)
Is mitigating social isolation a planning priority for British Columbia (Canada) Municipalities?
Jurisdictional Scan of BC Municipalities
Primary finding: Results demonstrated that although there is interest in social isolation planning, it is not a political priority and planners feel that there is a lack of funding needed to more fully incorporate it in practice.
Vancouver Foundation (2017)
Connect & Engage: A Survey of Metro Vancouver (2017)
Serial Cross-sectional Survey
Primary finding: The Connections and Engagement report is a periodic report that explores social challenges vacing communities across Metro Vancouver. Of key concern, loneliness and social isolation appear to have increased between 2012 and 2017.
Elmer (2018)
Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Seniors in Vancouver: Strategies for Reduction and Prevention
Government Report
Primary finding: This report presents the findings of the Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Seniors (SILAS) Project—an initiative of the City of Vancouver Seniors’ Advisory Committee. The purpose of the project was to develop a plan to help reduce (and ideally prevent) social isolation and loneliness among seniors in Vancouver. A secondary purpose was to fulfill a key requirement of the City of Vancouver’s application to the World Health Organization for designation as a Global Age-Friendly City.
British Columbia Ministry of Health (2004)
Social Isolation Among Seniors: An Emerging Issue
Government Report
Primary finding: Given the potential harmful effects of social isolation and loneliness in seniors it is important to pursue this issue in order to reduce emotional damage to seniors and inappropriate health and social service usage. The policy implications of social isolation and loneliness among seniors can be separated into two categories, areas for further research and the development of future interventions.
Wickens et al. (2021)
Loneliness in the COVID-19 pandemic: Associations with age, gender and their interaction
Quantitative Study
Primary finding: A pooled sample of 3,012 English-speaking Canadian adults aged 18+ years completed a web-based survey in one of three waves between May 8 and June 23, 2020. In the final regression model, a significant interaction effect between age and gender on loneliness was found. The interaction showed that women had greater odds of loneliness than men among those aged 18-29 years (AOR = 3.53, 95%CI = 1.69, 7.37) and 60+ years (AOR = 2.62, 95%CI = 1.33, 5.17). Special consideration of loneliness among younger and older adult women is needed in service planning. Given inconsistencies with pre-pandemic studies, detailed data collected during the current crisis is essential to inform proactive resource allocation to prevent and treat mental health consequences of the pandemic.