Political parties must address loneliness in forthcoming Programme for Government
New report urges political parties to address loneliness as part of policies and in the forthcoming Programme for Government
The report by the Loneliness Taskforce is calling on political parties to commit to addressing loneliness
Dublin, November 28th: The Loneliness Taskforce has released a new report which urges political parties to commit to addressing loneliness in Ireland.
The report highlights the commitment given in the last Programme for Government to “develop a plan aimed at tackling loneliness and isolation” was not met.
It also outlines four key asks that the Taskforce hopes to see included in the next Programme for Government. The Loneliness Taskforce also offers its support and knowledge in writing the strategy on loneliness to the next government.
The report notes that despite Ireland having the highest level of loneliness in the EU, and the highest level of difficulty in accessing mental health services, Ireland does not have a strategy at government level to address this social pandemic.
The Taskforce also states that while action must be taken to address the crises relating to housing, the cost of living, and climate change, we must also resource and strengthen our communities so that we have the connections and social relationships to support ourselves and each other through difficult times.
Sarah O’Toole, Executive Director of Samaritans Ireland, said: “As a member of the Loneliness Taskforce, Samaritans see firsthand the ongoing reality of loneliness in Ireland. More than one-third of our callers say they are lonely or feeling isolated, which impacts on their daily lives. We urge the next Government to commit to a comprehensive national strategy to tackle this growing crisis.”
Dr Joanna McHugh Power, chairperson of the Loneliness Taskforce Research Network, said: “To understand why Ireland has such high prevalence of loneliness, national commitment to loneliness research is crucial. The Loneliness Taskforce Research Network have developed priorities in Irish loneliness research through an expert consultation approach, and funding is critically needed for work on these priority areas”.
The Taskforce is calling on parties to improve Action, Awareness, Supports, and Knowledge on loneliness, with recommendations including to develop a comprehensive cross-sectoral strategy to address loneliness and support social connection; to establish a community-focused grant funding scheme to enable social connection and combat loneliness at a local level; and to fund research and evaluation into the causes and treatment of loneliness in Ireland.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has established a Commission on Social Connection (2024–2026) which aims to see the issue recognised and resourced as a global public health priority. Research has shown that Ireland has the highest rates of loneliness in the EU (1). In addition, recently published Irish research has demonstrated the diverse range of populations experiencing loneliness, including older people (2), pregnant women and new mothers (3), family carers (4), and young adults (5).
Seán Moynihan, CEO of ALONE concluded: “We welcome that several parties have committed to addressing loneliness in their manifestos and policy documents. However, this is just the first step. We need these commitments to be brought forward to the forthcoming Programme for Government, and followed through on by the new Government. Loneliness is a serious public health issue, and TILDA have shown that loneliness is linked with a wish to die among older adults. A 2017 UK report found that loneliness was costing employers £2.5bn per year (6). We will continue to drive action and increase awareness of this issue and hope that the next Government will work with us to achieve change in this area.”
The report from the Taskforce is available at this link: https://alone.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Loneliness-Taskforce-2024-political-briefing.pdf