Title page
Contents
Foreword from the Prime Minister 4
Ministerial foreword 5
Executive summary 7
Our vision 8
The focus of government's work 9
The structure of this strategy and government's key policy proposals 12
About this strategy 15
Purpose of this strategy 16
The development of the strategy 16
Guiding principles 16
Scope of the strategy 17
The role of government, communities and the individual 17
What good looks like: measuring success 18
Chapter 1: Evidence and insights 19
What do we mean by loneliness? 20
What impact can loneliness have? 20
What causes loneliness? 21
Consistent measurement of loneliness and the evidence on effective interventions 23
Chapter 2: Organisations that support and enable people's relationships 25
Our ambition 26
Improving how organisations and services connect people at risk of experiencing loneliness to support 27
Improve how organisations and services connect people experiencing loneliness to support at certain trigger points 30
Making it easier to access information about local community groups, activities and support services for loneliness 34
Spreading good practice and encouraging knowledge-sharing on tackling loneliness 35
Chapter 3: Community infrastructure that empowers social connections 37
Our ambition 38
Unlocking the potential of underutilised community space 39
Creating a transport network that enables people's social connections and helps people be connected to their community 42
Supporting communities to come together through good planning and housing 44
Maximising the power of digital tools to connect people 46
Chapter 4: Building a culture that supports connected communities 48
Our ambition 49
Building a national conversation to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around loneliness 52
Supporting grassroots opportunities to strengthen local social relationships and community ties 54
Chapter 5: Next steps - building on this strategy 61
Building the evidence base 62
Taking forward the cross-government approach 63
Next steps - how we can all take action to build a more socially connected society 64
Annex A: Summary of insights from the call for evidence 65
Annex B: Measures for success 68
Thank you 70
References 75