Six in 10 Senior Citizens Never Feel Lonely or Isolated

Lower Income, Less Educated and Democrats Report Greater Feelings of Loneliness

San Mateo, CA; Feb. 17, 2016 — Nearly six in 10 senior citizens (59%) report they “never” feel lonely or isolated, according to a new report from Caring.com. Another 17% say they “rarely” feel lonely or isolated. This debunks the common perception that seniors become less social and are often isolated from family and friends as they age. In fact, only a small number of seniors (6%) report that they often have feelings of loneliness or isolation.

Interaction with family members appears to play a large role in warding off loneliness. The majority of respondents connect with their family either every day (58%) or at least once a week (24%).

“Social interaction is a key component to staying both emotionally and physically healthy as we age,” said Andy Cohen, founder and CEO of Caring.com. “Staying active in communities and connecting with family on a regular basis could actually be adding years to your life,” Cohen added.

Surprisingly, just being around more people doesn’t make seniors less lonely. Seniors living in urban areas are about twice as likely to feel lonely often compared to those living in suburban and rural areas.

Loneliness and isolation also appear to decrease as income and education levels rise. The study found that people making an annual income of $30,000 or less report higher instances of loneliness than more affluent seniors. Likewise, respondents with a high school education or less report feeling lonely “often” or “sometimes” at a greater rate compared to people who attended or graduated from college.

Political affiliations also appear to have an influence on loneliness. Thirty percent of Democrats say they are lonely “often” or “sometimes,” more frequently than Republicans (19%) and independents (17%). Democrat respondents also didn't own cats or dogs as much as Republicans or independents, which could have an impact on their higher frequency of loneliness.

It is often recommended that seniors own pets to ward off loneliness and isolation. The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI).

Methodology
PSRAI obtained telephone interviews with 628 adults age 65 or older living in the continental United States. Interviews were conducted by landline and cell phone in English and Spanish by Princeton Data Source, January 7-10 and 21-24, 2016. Statistical results are weighted to correct known demographic discrepancies. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

With millions of visitors to its flagship website, Caring.com, Caring is a leading senior living referral service and the nation’s top site for senior care reviews. Founded in 2007, Caring’s mission is to help as many seniors and their caregivers as possible through empathetic, expert guidance. Applying cutting-edge technology to this humane mission, Caring provides relevant senior care information and support, as well as comprehensive senior living and senior care directories for the United States, including nearly 400,000 consumer reviews. Through a toll-free referral line at (800) 558-0653, Caring’s trusted, nationwide team of Family Advisors — who are among the most highly trained, highly skilled, and knowledgeable experts in senior care — helps seniors and their families research and connect to the most appropriate services and support for their specific situations. For more information about our organization and our free services for seniors and their families, please visit http://www.caring.com/about and join with Caring on Facebook.