How A Ministry Of Loneliness Help

Context: Loneliness, as a societal malaise, is often rarely acknowledged but is finding a prominent place on the global governance agenda.

Problem of Loneliness

• Definition: discrepancy between an individual’s desired and achieved levels of social relationships.
• Global problem: 33% in the UK, 50% in the USA and 47.5% elderly in India accept that they are lonely.
  • Recently Japan and UK have appointed a designated loneliness minister.
• Impacts different age groups: children, women, younger and older people face isolation and increasing suicide rates.

Causes and types of Loneliness:

• Social isolation: lack of social contact and get-togethers due to Work From Home, telework, and remote work induces stress and Loneliness. (majorly due to pandemic)
  • Social isolation is quantitative isolation (measured by the size of social network and frequency of contacts), whereas Loneliness is qualitative.
  • The National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly and the National Institute on Ageing says that approximately 23% of the elderly in India stay alone, without children.
• Socioeconomic and cultural factors: such as migration, interpersonal conflicts, accidents, and disasters, leads to situational Loneliness.
• Psychological: internal perception of being alone due to low self-esteem and self-worth and poor coping with adverse situations lead to internal Loneliness.
  • Lack of companionship and feeling of being left out was reported by 62.5% and 58.7%.
• Rising individualism: and desire for intimacy leads to developmental Loneliness. About 5% of individuals reportedly felt isolated from others.

Way Forward

• Strengthen social contact: because governmental interventions through funds and enabling system of help alone cannot repair the frayed fabric of society.
• Technology-based support: the internet, which is seen as a source of isolation for young people, can be a solution for the older generation.