The UK Government gets serious about loneliness

In January 2018, Britain appointed an official “Minister of Loneliness” to tackle the increasing issue of loneliness and isolation in the UK. The appointment of Tracey Crouch comes from the work initiated by murdered lawmaker Jo Cox, who had originally conducted a commission into the investigating the problems of loneliness in the country.

This appointment may trigger some reactions of shock and surprise at the concept of dedicating a federal minister to this issue. But to those familiar with the research and findings, the case is more than compelling – the research in the UK indicated that more than one in ten people in the country were effected by loneliness. Mark Robinson, Chief Officer of Age UK, describes the magnitude of the problem very simply: “it’s proven to be worse for health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day”.

This article from The New Yorker provides an excellent opinion piece.

We eagerly look forward to seeing the progress led by Tracey Crouch as Minister of Loneliness in the UK, and can hopefully pioneer an effective blueprint for government policy that nations around the world can aspire towards.