• Poll of over 10,000 Brits examines social isolation and the state of belonging in the UK
• Residents in Glasgow North East among top three constituencies in the UK for loneliness – and the top in Scotland
• 17% of those in Glasgow North East also reported having no close friends – the highest in the UK
• The Belonging Forum is campaigning for practical, affordable initiatives to end social isolation

Glasgow, 29 April 2024: Residents in Glasgow North East are the loneliest in Scotland, the largest-ever poll on belonging in the UK has revealed.

Two in five (40%) of those living in this region agreed that they feel lonely always or often, which makes it the second loneliest constituency in the United Kingdom after the London constituencies of Vauxhall and Camberwell.  Glasgow North features as the ninth loneliest constituency in the UK, with 38% feeling lonely often or always.

Glasgow North East is also home to the highest number of people in the whole of the United Kingdom who reported that they didn’t have a single close friend (17%) – despite Glasgow being Scotland’s largest city.

Two in five (20%) respondents also expressed dissatisfaction with their lives overall with, concerningly, one in four (25%) feeling unsafe to walk in the area after dark.

These results are significantly higher than in Edinburgh, where only 15% of residents across the capital experience loneliness, 11% report having no close friends, and 16% feel unsafe after dark.

The research aims to examine social isolation and people’s sense of belonging in modern Britain, as well as inform a series of policies and initiatives that the Belonging Forum will campaign for, known as the Charter for Belonging.

For communities across the country, these initiatives are likely to include improved shared green spaces, more inter-generational socials, and more local festivals and events. 

Kim Samuel, Founder of the Belonging Forum and author of On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation, said:

“Our research – the first of its kind in the UK – has identified acute issues regarding loneliness and social isolation in communities across the UK.

“Whilst cities may seem to be places of hustle and bustle, these findings clearly demonstrate that loneliness can strike those who appear to be surrounded by it all – including those in Scotland’s largest city.

“Our Charter for Belonging will outline common sense and affordable ways to help people mix with different generations, overcome shared challenges, and form lasting connections with others in their community – whilst also providing the safe spaces to do so.

“We need our public, private and third sectors to come together to take decisive action to address this issue—and we now want to hear from the public about what policies and initiatives they want to see us campaign for.”

ENDS

About the Belonging Forum

• The Belonging Forum was created by the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness, a global organisation that has been working with partners around the world to understand and address social isolation and belonging since 2017.
• The Belonging Forum is focused on convening partners and the public to generate simple, practical solutions that have cross-party support in the UK.
• It argues that if belonging is enshrined in policy and decision-making, social problems associated with isolation—such as poor mental health, apathy, and poorly integrated communities – will be reduced.
• It seeks to persuade policymakers and regulators to act and convene charities, not replicate their work, and inspire grassroots action.
• The aim is to use this landmark research to provide the basis for a Charter for Belonging which will outline simple, proven initiatives communities can implement to address social isolation and build belonging in key groups, including students, younger women, renters, older people, and people with disabilities.
• The polling can be found in a report — The Belonging Barometer— here.

Notes to editors:

• The research was carried out by Opinium on behalf of the Belonging Forum and surveyed a nationally representative sample of 10,002 UK adults The survey was conducted between 24 November and 13 December 2023.
• The research also included multi-level regression and post-stratification (MRP) analysis of several questions, giving insights into them at a parliamentary constituency level across the UK.
• The Belonging Forum is appealing for input from policymakers, the public and partner organisations on what effective policies to include in a Charter for Belonging that will address the pressing problems identified by the research.

Contributions are welcome at kim@belonging.forum