In November 2024, Stats Canada released a report with the title “Loneliness in Canada.” This topic is in the news not just here, but around the world. The Canadian report stated that overall, “13 per cent of people aged 15 and older reported always or often feeling lonely.”
The age groups with the highest percentages reporting loneliness are the youngest and oldest. More women than men feel lonely. And people who live alone feel lonelier than those who have a partner or spouse.
Loneliness is a serious issue because it affects physical and mental health. But think about the major finding of the Canadian report. It is that 87 percent of people aged 15 and older did not report feeling lonely always or often. Even allowing for rounding, it is reasonable to believe that well over 80 percent of Canadians over the age of 15 are fine, in terms of loneliness.
How does Canada compare on the loneliness scale? It is difficult to find definitive statistics on this topic. However, Canada tends to rate relatively well on topics such as social well-being, friendliness and social support networks, each of which correlates with loneliness or the lack thereof.
Isn’t it confusing that the Canadian report blares a negative headline which is actually the opposite of what the findings show?
The late Joan Rivers
The comedienne who claimed to always tell the truth used the phrase “Can we talk?” when introducing material. Rivers, who died in 2014, emphasized that talking was a measure of getting the truth out, even when the truth was uncomfortable. We can only surmise what Rivers would think about the lack of talking some 10 years later.
A major tactic to feel less lonely is to communicate with friends, families, neighbours, co-workers, and so on. This is not surprising. Talking helps keep loneliness at bay. Ironically, technology in the form of mobile phones has created a lack of talking.
Gone are the days when people took evening strolls and talked to their neighbours along the way.
Gone are the days when colleagues gathered around the proverbial water cooler or coffee station at work, sharing not just work issues, but personal stories and talk about politics, sports and, of course, the weather.
Gone, too, are the days when we could talk to an entire family by dialing one number – on a landline.
With the push from COVID, people, especially those who live alone, no longer interact with others on most days. A study on remote work conducted for 2023 showed that Canada ranks highest in the English-speaking world for this workplace statistic.
Here in Canada, workers spend an average of 1.7 days per week working from home. That’s almost two full working days without in-person contact with colleagues. Further, it denies workers the opportunity to converse with others on public transit, at restaurants for lunch breaks and in shops and services close to the office or other place of business.
Is it any wonder that some people feel they exist in a bubble?
We are living in a time when even making a phone call has changed. Mobile phones are just that. They can accompany us anywhere, either on a phone device, a tablet or a wristwatch. It is their mobility that has changed the way we interact with people. For many readers, landlines are ancient devices that no longer make sense.
Statistics Canada confirms what we all suspect. Mobile phones are more prevalent than landlines. “In 2021, 93.9 per cent of Canadian households reported having at least one cellphone… according to the most recent data from the Survey of Household Spending.” Conversely, fewer and fewer households report having a landline. The number has decreased to less than half as of 2021.
Because we do not know where the mobile owner is when we want to talk, we don’t use mobile phones as replacements for landlines. Instead, we have transitioned to sending a text message to ask if it is convenient to call. And if we want to speak to a couple or a family or other group of people, we are inclined to schedule a video call on one of the many free apps.
The positive side is that we can see people without being in the same space. (Some would say that the negative side is that we can see people without being in the same space.) If the call is not pre-arranged, we can check caller ID and can decide whether or not to take the call.
Is this lack of human communication why loneliness is believed to be so common, despite the actual results from statistical studies?
What is Canada doing about loneliness?
Canada does not have a formal program to address loneliness; however, some provinces, notably Manitoba, have established social initiatives to combat the mental health problems that often accompany loneliness.
In 2023, the UK established a Ministry for Loneliness. Japan has since followed suit. Other countries have also established specific programs to combat loneliness. Generally, these government departments are expected to coordinate social programs and mental health initiatives that affect social well-being.
Whether these developments will lead to less loneliness remains to be seen. The first hurdle to measure outcomes is to define loneliness. We need to be specific about what loneliness is and, equally important, what it isn’t. Libraries are filled with writings about loneliness and alone-ness. Other volumes deal with solitude.
There are advantages to solitude, yet these are often associated with punishment and deprivation. And there are advantages to living alone. Loneliness is the hot topic, especially since COVID. But perhaps the bottom line is that a balance of connection and solitude is likely the best for our mental health. More importantly, this balance is likely different for each of us.
Geographically, Canada remains the second largest country in the world, after Russia. Yet much of the country is uninhabited or sparsely inhabited, with an estimated 90 per cent of the population living within 100 miles of the Canada-United States border. With only 40 million people spread over this huge country, it is not unexpected that some people have no-one to talk to. Whether the statistics show it or not, Canada does have its share of lonely people.
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Nick Seebruch, editor
