Social Isolation Study Finds It Nearly Doubled in 20 Years

Australia has become measurably more disconnected over the past two decades, and new research puts the first long-term national numbers on the trend. A study published this month in the International Journal of Epidemiology analyzed 23 years of nationally representative survey data and found that social isolation in Australia nearly doubled between 2001 and 2023.

The research comes from the University of Sydney and is based on the Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, one of the country's longest running household studies. Following the same population across 23 years gives the work weight that one-off surveys do not, and the authors describe it as some of the first long-term national evidence on whether loneliness and social isolation are actually increasing in Australia.

"Concerns about Australians becoming more disconnected have grown in recent years, yet there has been little national-level evidence showing whether loneliness or social isolation is actually increasing," said lead author Dr. Neta Hagani, an honorary adjunct affiliate at the School of Public Health and the Charles Perkins Center at the University of Sydney.

Isolation nearly doubled; loneliness rose more slowly

The headline finding is stark. According to the study, social isolation increased from 16.9 percent in 2001 to 29.9 percent in 2023, a near doubling across the 23-year period. Loneliness showed a more moderate increase over the same stretch, rising from 6.3 percent to 8.4 percent, with the increase concentrated among more vulnerable groups.

The researchers draw a clear line between the two measures. Social isolation describes an objective state of limited social contact, social engagement, or meaningful relationships. Loneliness, by contrast, is the subjective feeling that your actual relationships fall short of what you want them to be. The distinction matters because the two do not move in lockstep: a person can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely, or spend a lot of time alone and feel fine. Both, though, are linked to poorer physical and mental health outcomes.

"Our study showed that social isolation has increased substantially in Australia over the past two decades, nearly doubling from 16.9% in 2001 to 29.9% in 2023. Loneliness showed a more moderate increase overall, from 6.3% to 8.4%, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations," Hagani said.

Young adults saw some of the sharpest rises in loneliness

One finding likely to land with younger readers: younger adults experienced some of the most substantial increases in loneliness across the study period. Older adults, meanwhile, consistently had the highest levels of social isolation and also recorded sizable increases over time. The pattern suggests the disconnection is not confined to one generation; it is rising across the population, just in different ways.

The data also showed that loneliness and social isolation were consistently more common among people who were unemployed, lived in more socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, were widowed, lived alone, or had lower levels of education. These gaps did not narrow over the 23 years. In most cases, the trend pointed the other way.

"The findings suggest that Australians are having fewer social connections and interactions than in previous years. Although increases in feelings of loneliness have been comparatively modest, loneliness is still on the rise," Hagani said. "This distinction is important because social isolation and loneliness are related but different experiences, and both are associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes."

A public health question, not just a personal one

Senior author Professor Melody Ding, from the Sydney School of Public Health and the Charles Perkins Center, argues the results should shift how disconnection is treated. In her view, social connection should be approached as a public health issue rather than treated as a purely private matter for individuals to sort out on their own.

Ding pointed to structural forces behind the numbers: employment, housing, living arrangements, community participation, and neighborhood disadvantage all shape how connected people are. "The findings highlight that certain groups, particularly young adults, older adults, unemployed people and people living in disadvantaged areas, may need additional support to maintain meaningful social connections. There are no signs of closing the gap, and in most cases, there seems to be a trend toward widening gaps," she said.

She also noted that the widening social inequalities Australia has experienced over the past two decades may have contributed to the worsening of social connections. "The results also suggest that broader social and structural factors, such as employment, housing, living arrangements, community participation and neighborhood disadvantage, play an important role in shaping social connection across the population," Ding said.

The authors conclude that the long-term health consequences of rising isolation and loneliness call for sustained policy and public health action across the whole life course, rather than short-term programs aimed at single age groups. "Social isolation and loneliness can have potential long-term health impacts, highlighting the need for sustained policy and public health action across the life course," Ding said.

The study, titled "Have Australians become more lonely and socially isolated? A longitudinal analysis of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia study," was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology in 2026 (DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyag143). A summary of the findings is available via Phys.org's report on the research. For readers, this social isolation study is a reminder that the feeling of drifting apart has data behind it now, and that rebuilding connection may take more than individual effort.