A recent local study has revealed that while social loneliness in Malta has slightly decreased since the COVID-19 pandemic, emotional loneliness has significantly increased.

This suggests that while people may have had opportunities to socialise, even online, their deeper emotional needs were not always met.

The research compared data collected in 2019, before the pandemic, with data gathered in July 2022, three months after most restrictions were lifted. Findings showed that overall loneliness increased, with 54.6% of respondents in 2022 identifying as moderately lonely, compared to 41.3% in 2019.

The percentage of people experiencing severe or very severe loneliness more than doubled, rising from 2.1% to 5.2%.

The study, published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, was conducted by researchers Andrew Azzopardi, Marilyn Clark, Anna Grech, and Liberato Camilleri and involved 658 telephone interviews with individuals aged 11 and over.

Results revealed a shift in loneliness trends. While social loneliness, defined as the lack of social interactions, slightly declined from a mean score of 1.23 in 2019 to 1.16 in 2022, emotional loneliness, which reflects a deeper sense of disconnection and lack of meaningful relationships, increased significantly from 1.42 to 2.1.

Professor Andrew Azzopardi, one of the study’s authors, described this increase in emotional loneliness as an indication of deeper struggles that individuals may not be ready to confront.

He emphasised that solidarity and togetherness, once strong pillars of Maltese culture, must remain central to society. However, he also warned that the more difficult, unspoken struggles people face should not be ignored.

The study found that certain groups were more likely to experience loneliness. Young people under 19, older adults over 55, and widowed or retired individuals were among the most affected.

Loneliness was also more common among those with lower income and education levels, individuals in poor health, and those who felt little connection to their neighbourhood.

Recognising the need for action, the study put forward several policy recommendations, including increasing efforts to improve affordable housing and ease the cost of living, investing in stronger community infrastructure such as parks and public spaces, and implementing social inclusion programmes to foster stronger connections between individuals.

In January of last year, the Faculty for Social Well-being had also proposed a set of 100 recommendations to combat loneliness. These included encouraging a return to basic social etiquette, such as standing up for someone on a bus or greeting strangers, as well as broader policy initiatives such as appointing a Parliamentary Secretary for Loneliness and establishing a Loneliness Task Force to explore solutions.

A follow-up study is planned for this year to further examine the long-term impact of emotional loneliness in Malta and to continue identifying strategies to address this growing issue.

What do you make of these findings?