Responses to this question varied by group. loneliness as an issue across life stages was Higher agreement was recorded by those with important in raising awareness and normalising limited access to transport (66%), long-term feelings, thereby helping to challenge stigma health conditions (59%) and those with health and misperceptions. issues which impact ability to get around (59%), whereas 46% of those aged 55+ and retired and 44% of those aged 55+ and with no Lack of local support created challenges children at home agreed. Although they were for accessibility not a target group for the research, 62% of As referenced in the previous chapter, those 16-34s also agreed, in line with their higher experiencing loneliness tend to have lower self-reported loneliness. levels of self-confidence which often leads to increased social anxiety. Having to travel Support viewed as prioritising outside local communities and towns to access older populations support groups, pursue hobbies or take classes was viewed as a further barrier to connecting. Experts felt loneliness was seen as an Participants tended only to be willing to engage ‘older person’ issue, a message perhaps in services or support that were relatively close unintentionally transmitted by effective public to where they lived. campaigns, political initiatives such as the Groups and participants who were specifically 15 Government’s ‘Aging Well Policy’ , and media isolated in rural settings or were affected by attention to the importance of social support for health and mobility issues, expressed that lack older people216. It was therefore considered by of local services and support compounded experts that the service landscape tended to psychological and behavioural problems. focus on this group in terms of allocating funding Many also felt that local support resources and service provision. were shrinking. There was general consensus across the Having local amenities and services and support, research that this tendency towards ring-fencing and identifying the need for provision within funding for older groups had an unintentionally these groups was key for future service design detrimental effect on society’s awareness that for experts across the research. loneliness could be triggered by a number of events or circumstances across age groups, “You can get social care support if you genders, and backgrounds. Lack of funding meet quite high eligibility criteria but [what] for other services and support could lead to if you need it and don’t meet those quite participants having to pay to use services and high thresholds. With local government cuts support which was often difficult for participants. to pensioner clubs that sort of support is disappearing because it’s not statutory.” “There is not a great deal to do for disabled people unless you are willing to pay but (Expert, Business) being on beneits with no spare money they are of limits to me.” Negative impact of one-off/ (Health, Male, Bristol, 35-54) short-term interventions For experts, creating physical spaces in the Some of our participants experiencing loneliness community that allowed for discussion of noted that they had encountered well-meaning yet damaging one-off interventions. In these 15 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-experiences, they had taken part in ad hoc government-policy-older-people/2010-to-2015-government-policy-programmes but were left feeling dissatisfied older-people with the length of time they had access to the 16 https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/1578384/italian-police-cook- up-a-pasta-feast-for-an-elderly-couple-they-heard-crying-from-support, and the quality of support provided. loneliness-in-their-flat-and-its-melting-peoples-hearts/ What is the support landscape like for loneliness in the UK? 35