Loneliness is a public health crisis of our time — and Australia is not immune. Approximately one in four Australians report feeling lonely. Chronic loneliness is associated with health outcomes as severe as smoking 15 cigarettes a day: higher rates of cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression, and premature death. The COVID-19 pandemic deepened social isolation for many, particularly older people. Grant funding supports the befriending programmes, community hubs, social prescribing, and connection initiatives that reduce loneliness and build community belonging.
Scale
Health consequences
Loneliness and social isolation are genuinely deadly:
- Equivalent health risk to smoking 15 cigarettes a day (Holt-Lunstad research)
- 50% increased risk of premature death
- 26% increased risk of dementia
- Associated with depression, anxiety, and suicide risk
- Cardiovascular disease, weakened immune system, disturbed sleep
Structural drivers
Loneliness is not just an individual experience — structural factors drive it:
- Housing (high-density urban environments without community spaces)
- Work changes (remote work reducing incidental social contact)
- Technology (social media as substitute for in-person connection)
- Transport (car-dependent planning isolates those without cars)
- Neighbourhood design (without walkability or shared spaces)
- Social fragmentation (declining participation in traditional institutions)
Department of Health
No dedicated loneliness strategy in Australia — unlike the UK (which has had a Minister for Loneliness since 2018) or the US.
CHSP (Commonwealth Home Support Programme)
Social support groups for older adults — significant, if underrecognised, contribution to reducing loneliness.
DSS
Community development funding includes social connection.
State health departments
Mental health and wellbeing funding includes social connection components.
Movember
Male mental health and social connection.
The Ian Potter Foundation
Community wellbeing and social connection.
VicHealth
Social isolation as a health determinant.
Rotary and Lions
Community connection programmes.
Aged care philanthropists
Older adult social connection through aged care organisations.
Community foundations
Local community foundations fund local connection initiatives.
Corporate community investment
Many corporations fund social connection through community investment.
Befriending programmes
Trained volunteers provide regular social contact to isolated people:
- Telephone befriending (older adults, people with disability)
- Home visiting befriending
- Hospital befriending
- Online befriending
- Youth befriending
Social prescribing
GPs and allied health workers "prescribe" community activities:
- Social prescribing link workers (connecting people to activities)
- GP social prescribing pilots
- Health-community bridge roles
- Outcomes tracking (meaningful activity and connection)
Community hubs
Physical spaces that facilitate connection:
- Neighbourhood houses (also separate guide)
- Men's sheds
- Community gardens
- Libraries as connection spaces
- Multicultural community centres
- LGBTQ+ community centres
Digital connection
For those unable to leave home:
- Video calling support (helping older people use FaceTime, Zoom)
- Online social groups
- Digital pen pals
- Online volunteering with social connection
Men's connection
Men are less likely to maintain social connections and less likely to seek help:
- Men's sheds (see also men's shed guide)
- Men's groups (structured activity-based)
- Workplace social connection
- Father/fatherhood groups
Older adult social connection
Older people face specific risks — bereavement, mobility limitations, loss of work role:
- Day programmes and social groups (through CHSP)
- Intergenerational programmes (with children and young people)
- Over 55s sports and recreation
- Transport to social activities
- Telephone and online befriending
Youth loneliness
Young adults are the loneliest age group:
- Peer connection programmes at universities
- Mental health peer support
- Youth-specific social groups
- LGBTQ+ youth connection
- Online community building
Rural and remote loneliness
Geographic isolation compounds social isolation:
- Rural connection programmes
- Telephone and online social programmes
- Community events and festivals
- Rural men's health and connection
Post-disaster connection
Disasters fragment communities:
- Community recovery events
- Community resilience building
- Connection programmes for displaced people
- Grief and bereavement groups
Multicultural connection
Migrants and people from CALD backgrounds face specific isolation:
- Cultural community events
- Language-specific social groups
- Settlement social connection
- Intergenerational connection in multicultural communities
Social prescribing is growing in Australia — though more slowly than the UK:
- GPs increasingly recognise the health impact of social isolation
- Link worker models being piloted
- GP and primary health networks building social prescribing capacity
- Evidence building for cost-effectiveness
Grant applications supporting social prescribing infrastructure are timely.
Loneliness is hard to measure — and funders need measurement frameworks:
- UCLA Loneliness Scale (validated, widely used)
- De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale
- Subjective wellbeing measures
- Social network size and frequency of contact
- Participation in community activities
The health argument
Framing loneliness as a health issue — not just a social one — opens up health funding. The evidence on loneliness and mortality is compelling and increasingly well-known.
Prevention value
Preventing loneliness is far cheaper than treating its health consequences (depression, dementia, cardiovascular disease). Show cost-effectiveness of connection interventions.
Men's loneliness
Men are significantly more socially isolated than women — particularly after retirement, divorce, or bereavement. Men's connection programmes are underserved and well-aligned with Movember and men's health funders.
Social prescribing
GP referral to community connection is evidence-based and scalable — applications building social prescribing infrastructure are well-positioned with health funders.
Tahua's grants management platform supports social connection funders and community organisations — with participant tracking, wellbeing outcome measurement, befriending data, and the reporting tools that help funders demonstrate their investment in reducing loneliness and building community belonging across Australia and New Zealand.