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About loneliness

Loneliness is a subjective feeling in which one's social relationships do not fulfil personal wishes and needs. For example, for some, loneliness can mean a perceived lack of close emotional ties. For others, loneliness arises when they have less contact with other people than they would like.

Psychology distinguishes between two basic forms of loneliness: social loneliness and emotional loneliness. Social loneliness occurs when those affected fundamentally lack social relationships. In the case of emotional loneliness, there is a lack of trusting attachment figures with whom one feels connected.

Being alone is not the same as being lonely: you can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely, but you can also be alone and feel happy. Anyone who consciously chooses to be alone is acting in a self-determined way.

Until now, loneliness has often been a taboo subject that people affected are sometimes ashamed of and don't like to talk about. The feeling of loneliness is difficult to put into words. It is quite normal to find yourself in situations where you feel lonely. It is crucial that this unpleasant feeling does not become a permanent condition. That's why information, education and services are important.

Frequently asked questions

How many people in Bocholt suffer from loneliness?

It is not possible to state exactly how many people in Bocholt suffer from loneliness. But nationwide, around 10 to 15% of people aged 18 and over state in surveys that they feel lonely and suffer from it. In Bocholt, this means that up to 10,000 people suffer from loneliness!

In a brief survey conducted by the city administration among a good 50 different organisations and associations in Bocholt in 2024, almost all stakeholders confirmed that loneliness is an everyday and important challenge. All stakeholders also supported a city-wide initiative on the topic of loneliness.

Studies

The " loneliness barometer" of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth came to the following conclusion in 2024: almost eight million people in Germany felt lonely in 2021. Women, single parents, the unemployed, the sick and people with migration and refugee experience are particularly affected. Overall, the perceived loneliness in the population has risen sharply during the coronavirus pandemic, especially among younger people. The Loneliness Barometer 2024 is a long-term analysis for which data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) from 1992 to 2021 was analysed. Adults aged 18 and over were included.

Is loneliness also a challenge in Europe?

In 2022, 25,000 people across Europe were surveyed on the topic of loneliness. The pilot study "Loneliness in the European Union" found that more than a third of respondents feel lonely at least sometimes, and around 13 per cent even feel lonely most of the time. Young people are particularly affected, including an above-average number of girls and women.

Who is particularly affected by loneliness?

Loneliness has many faces: but there are certain risk factors that favour loneliness. People with a migration background and people with health problems and few material resources are particularly affected.

Loneliness is not a question of age: loneliness can occur in all phases of life. Particularly vulnerable phases in life are young adulthood from 18 to 29 years and old age from 80 years onwards.

Time and again we hear from

young people,
single parents,
migrants,
people with disabilities and
senior citizens that they feel lonely.

These groups seem to struggle with loneliness in particular. Loneliness often goes hand in hand with poverty.

What causes and consequences of loneliness do we know?

There are many causes of loneliness: private changes such as moving to another city or abroad, a career change or children moving out can lead to loneliness. Personal strokes of fate such as the end of a relationship, illness, the need for care or the loss of relatives also play a role. Digitalisation can also contribute to loneliness. Many social contacts are moving to the virtual world and direct personal contact is becoming rarer.

Loneliness can make you ill: Loneliness also has an impact on mental and physical health. The longer the feeling lasts, the more difficult it becomes to find a way out alone. It is particularly problematic when loneliness becomes permanent and chronic. Finding a way out seems increasingly difficult for those affected, but it is possible, as the offers on this website show.

Loneliness is a challenge for the city as a whole: studies show that loneliness is associated with less trust in state structures. Lonely people also participate less in political life. Loneliness is therefore also a threat to social cohesion. And the search for connection can make people susceptible to conspiracy ideologies and anti-democratic forces.

The Loneliness Barometer 2023 provides an overview of the causes and consequences. The Loneliness Competence Network has analysed data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) for this purpose.

How can loneliness be overcome?

The city of Bocholt provides support with a wide range of programmes , enabling people to take their first steps out of loneliness. It supports its citizens in finding cohesion and establishing a new network of contacts in the city. Open and non-binding offers that are nevertheless designed to last are important.

Many partners and institutions take part in the initiative and open a wide variety of doors - for personal encounters, counselling, joint learning, sport and entertainment.

Call or drop in at one of the programmes, whether you are lonely or not, alone or together. Your contact persons in the institutions look forward to your visit and your questions.

What is already being done to combat loneliness?

Since 2022, the German government has been developing a "strategy against loneliness" under the leadership of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ). It aims to shed more light on the topic of loneliness in Germany both politically and scientifically. In December 2023, the strategy against loneliness was adopted, which includes more than 100 measures to strengthen social interaction.

The Loneliness Competence Network (KNE) is part of the federal strategy. The project is run by the Institute for Social Work and Social Education and is funded by the BMFSFJ. The website offers numerous publications and expertises on the topic, a nationwide overview of offers against loneliness as well as event information.

The Bocholt campaign against loneliness has been working together with the NRW Loneliness | Land.NRW competence network since the beginning. In Bocholt, there is an increasingly strong network of politics, administration, civil society and business. The aim is to create good structures for prevention, intervention and networking in Bocholt.