New loneliness numbers ‘not a fluke’

December 03, 2021

Teen on couch with face lit by light of cellphone, Photo by Mike Toraw of Pexels

Photo by Mike Toraw of Pexels

Elvis knew lonely.

And if even the king of rock-and-roll sometimes checked into Heartbreak Hotel down at the end of Lonely Street, it’s hardly surprising that a lot of ordinary Canadians are also feeling a bit forlorn these days.

A Western University expert on loneliness research finds validation, but little consolation, in new national numbers that quantify the emotional impact of isolation during the pandemic.

Newly released data from Statistics Canada shows 13 per cent of Canadians 15 years and older reported they often or always were lonely in recent months.

“Clearly it’s not a fluke that we’re seeing this many individuals identifying themselves as lonely, and there’s also a clear trend based on age,” said DAN Management professor and loneliness researcher Julie Aitken Schermer.

Read the full story by Debora Van Brenk at Western News