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Everyone living in London has felt lonely at some point. Despite having a population of nearly nine million, sometimes it can be hard to find your people in the big metropolis. Now, data has revealed this to be quantifiably true. Londoners are lonelier than people in the rest of the UK, new research shows.
According to a new study by the Belonging Forum, 35 percent of Londoners report feeling lonely often or some of the time, compared to 28 percent of people in the UK. The study also revealed that young women and renters were disproportionately affected by an epidemic of loneliness.
Belonging Forum polled a nationally representative sample of more than 10,000 people across the UK, including more than 1,300 from London, on questions relating to loneliness and belonging. The organisation said it was the biggest survey conducted on loneliness in the UK to date.
Within London, some areas were revealed to be lonelier than others. The constituency of Vauxhall and Camberwell Green was found to be the ‘loneliest’ in the country, with 41 percent of people reporting regularly feeling alone, closely followed by 39 percent of respondents in Bermondsey and Old Southwark.
Hackney South and Shoreditch, Islington South and Finsbury, and Lewisham North also had similar results, proving that much of Zones 1-3 are feeling seriously isolated.
In contrast, constituencies on London’s outskirts – namely Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner and Sutton and Cheam – reported the highest number of people saying they were hardly or never lonely.
Kim Samuel, founder of the Belonging Forum, said these statistics showed ‘real issues’ with loneliness in London, particularly affecting young people.
‘In this research we have seen that young women and renters are being disproportionately affected by issues like loneliness, and the higher prevalence of these groups in central London could be a driving factor in the results there,’ she said.
‘We know from other reputable sources, such as the UN’s recent World Happiness Report, that the factors like economic insecurity, increased polarisation and negative consequences from social media all have an impact on young people’s place in society.
‘With London having the lowest median age of any UK region it is unfortunately not entirely surprising to see some of these issues coming through strongly in our results.’
With all this in mind, take this as a sign to have a chat with your neighbour the next time you see them, it could do you a world of good.