30th October 2024
Britain is a lonely nation. CSJ polling finds that nearly six in ten adults feel lonely at least some of the time. This equates to 32 million people. Over one in five adults (22 per cent) say they feel existentially lonely, a fundamental separateness from other people and the wider world. Loneliness is a public health emergency. The effects of loneliness and social isolation have been shown comparable to smoking, obesity and physical inactivity.
This report shows how the government can tackle loneliness through the built environment, defined in this report as the man-made structures and features that viewed collectively, form the places in which people live. For example, buildings, parks, streets and squares.
The built environment is associated with loneliness. The 2018 loneliness strategy recognised the role of planning and housing in building a less lonely society. In 2021, the London School of Economics (LSE) found that involvement with community-led housing schemes were associated with reduced loneliness as well as greater trust and belonging. In 2022, the Campaign to End Loneliness highlighted the quality and interconnectedness of the built environment as key elements that reduced the likelihood of loneliness.
The Labour government’s mission to build 1.5 million homes over the current parliament will leave a lasting legacy for the built environment in Britain. This comes at a time when there has been significant scrutiny over the quality of new-build housing. A poll for the Chartered Institute of Building found that 32 per cent of consumers would describe new-build housing as poor quality, 41 per cent described it as lacking character and 48 per cent described it as overpriced.
It is therefore unsurprising that so many people are unsupportive of new housing development. CSJ polling found that 62 per cent of adults say they have no meaningful say in how their area changes and develops over time. 52 per cent say that local people do not have enough power to block new housing development.
