Part I. Introduction -- Chapter 1. Loneliness: an underestimated public health threat (Béatrice d’Hombres) -- Chapter 2. Measuring loneliness: the European Union Loneliness Survey covering 27 European countries (Caterina Mauri) -- Part II. Loneliness and Its Associates -- Chapter 3. Who feels lonely in the European Union? (Francesco Berlingieri) -- Chapter 4. Childhood experiences, health and loneliness (Matija Kovacic) -- Chapter 5. Social media use and loneliness (Béatrice d’Hombres) -- Chapter 6. Loneliness, societal preferences and political attitudes (Alexander Langenkamp) -- Part III. Loneliness Interventions And Conclusions -- Chapter 7. Counteracting the effects of loneliness: empirical research and policy interventions (Elizabeth J. Casabianca) -- Chapter 8. Taking stock of loneliness in the European Union: a future pathway (Sylke V. Schnepf).

Open Access

This open-access volume accompanies the microdata release of the EU Loneliness Survey. Loneliness, often referred to as the ‘epidemic of the 21st century’, has emerged as a grave public health concern. For years, a lack of comprehensive European cross-national data hindered a thorough examination of this issue. In 2022, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre conducted the inaugural EU Loneliness Survey, covering around 30,000 individuals in 27 European nations. The book sheds light on who is most affected by loneliness, identifies contributing experiences and behaviours, addresses the stigmatisation of loneliness and discusses its societal impact. Furthermore, it emphasises the importance of interventions to combat loneliness. Finally, the book discusses the challenges of survey design and offers valuable insights for the monitoring of loneliness in Europe in the future. This makes the book a must-read for scholars and academics interested in population economics, public health and social well-being.