Content components Social isolation and loneliness can have serious impacts on physical and mental health and quality of life (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2025). Socially isolated people can lack sufficient connections and engagement with others, resulting in feelings of loneliness, isolation and diminished sense of belonging. This can stem from various factors including lack of access to technology or digital literacy. Australia’s first State of the Nation Report on Social Connection (Ending Loneliness Together 2023) found:at least one in 3 of us feel lonely, and one in 6 of us feel very lonely at any given timenot all people who live alone feel lonely, but living alone is a risk factor for lonelinessloneliness can have significant negative impacts on mental and physical health that can lead to increased morbidity and premature mortality. Loneliness by living arrangementLoneliness is associated with having an increased likelihood of having clinical depression and social anxiety. Loneliness is also associated with an increased likelihood of having poor wellbeing (Ending Loneliness Together 2023). Rates of loneliness by living arrangement include:40% of Australians living alone feel lonely30% of Australians living with others feel lonely23% of people living with a partner feel lonely34% of people living with housemates feel lonely32% of people living with immediate family feel lonely49% of people living with extended family feel lonely.Source: Social Connection in Australia 2023.Loneliness in different age groups32.1% of Victorians aged 18 to 24 experience loneliness. This is the loneliest age group, followed by people aged 25 to 35 years (26.0%).17.6% of Boroondara residents experience loneliness, compared to 23.7% for metro Melbourne.Source: Victorian Population Health Survey 2023.People living alone in Boroondara9.7% of Boroondara residents lived in a lone person household in 2021, up from 8.7% in 2016.Source: 2016 and 2021 Census.
