social isolation

1. The Voices of Older People:
Exploring Social Isolation and
Loneliness in the
City of London
Dr Roger Green and Tim Stacey
Centre for Community Engagement Research
Department of Social, Therapeutic and
Community Studies
Goldsmiths
University of London
http://www.ccer.info

2. “One of the problems of
loneliness is being isolated”
(Barbican resident)

3. Social isolation and loneliness in the City of London
• Whilst the actual prevalence of
social isolation and loneliness
across the City of London is still
an unknown figure the
following findings indicate it is a
significant experience for many
of the City’s residents.

4. Methodology: Who we listened to
• Qualitative open-ended individual
interviews and informal group discussions
with...
• Residents from the Middlesex Street and
Golden Lane housing estates, the
Guinness Trust Mansell Street estate, and
flats and houses on the Barbican.
• 69 residents interviewed either in their
homes, at community centres, cafes,
other locations and via telephone.
• 23 residents gave their comments via
email or via blogs - 6 residents via letters.
• Also 12 residents – who did not feel
lonely/isolated in their daily lives.
• Plus - 16 City of London staff + voluntary
and community sector organisations -
Informal conversations - provided
contextual information and valuable
contacts.
• The sample - aged between 48 years of
age to 86 years of age.
• Majority from a White British heritage -
self-defined their ethnic identity.

5. Methodology: How residents were contacted
• Flyers explaining the study were
circulated widely across the City of
London: Middlesex Street and Golden
Lane housing estates, the Guinness
Trust Mansell Street estate, and flats
and houses on the Barbican) and
voluntary organizations and
community groups.
• ‘Hanging out’, ‘walkabouts’ and
meeting up and listening to people at
various locations, community
gatherings and meetings across the
City (Ethnographic and
Psychogeography approaches).
• A ‘snowball’ effect was commonplace
- names of residents given who would
be interested in being interviewed -
over a cup of tea.
• Participants contacted the researcher
- via telephone, email, letters, blogs –
via other residents and staff from City
of London and voluntary organizations
and community groups working with
older people.

6. Selected Research Findings: Stories from the City
“I doubt you’ll find anybody more isolated than
myself…..No living relatives……No neighbours…..No
support from Social Services”
(Posted hand written note )
“I like being alone here...going to MacDonald’s...I come to
this group (community group)...I get out a lot...keep in
touch with another group...sometimes you get fed up...but
we have those days...I like to walk around”
(Mansell Street resident)
“Now I am invisible”
(Barbican resident)
• “So much going on that you have to get out and find
it...but if your shy...we are all war babies so we have to
get on with it...then I give myself a kick in the shins”
(Mansell Street resident)
• Living in the City of London was experienced
by older residents in a number of ways.
• Different experiences and definitions of being
socially isolated and/or lonely, or both, was
voiced by residents for example;
• Some stories related to…
1. disability
2. being alone
3. loss of a life partner
4. out of employment
5. being made redundant
6. retirement
7. where they lived – home - estate

7. Selected Research Findings: Attending Community Group Activities
• Beneficial effects of older people attending a
community group or related activity.
• Informal groups eg. Barbican house and
Golden Lane groups provided both a social
contact point and a sharing of time with like
minded people.
• Groups provided a network of social contacts and valuable
social capital that mitigated against being lonely and isolated.
• Not all group activities and structures were suitable for all
residents.
• Accessing and joining a community group was problematic for
some residents.
• Some residents lacked confidence in encountering a group
situation.
• Views of how community group activities advertised differed.
• Social comfortability and informal atmosphere engendered by
community groups positive for the majority of older people
attending.
• Degree of exclusion experienced by some residents on the
Mansell Street Estate.

8. Selected Research Findings: Befriending schemes
• Befriending and good neighbour schemes
positively received by residents.
• Evidence that ‘informal’ befriending or
localised good neighbour schemes were
developing.
• Criticism that befrienders and volunteers
from commissioned providers “came and
went”.
• Residents often required ongoing
volunteer support with their daily lives
including ‘social company’.

9. Selected Research Findings: Neighbourliness
• Many residents helping each other out across
all four estates.
• Evidence of good neighbourliness impacting
on individual’s sense of loneliness and social
isolation.
• Resident’s age, the physical layout of estates
and housing tenure often had a negative
impact on knowing ones neighbours.
• Lack of knowledge amongst some residents
as to who their neighbours were.
• A loss of community felt by some residents.

10. Selected Research Findings:
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT)
• Barbican LGBT community felt socially
isolated.
• Involvement with the Barbicans
community groups and activities was
minimal.
• Little or no contact with befriending
or good neighbour schemes despite a
social need.
• Some evidence of neighbourly
support.

11. Selected Research Findings:
Residents not experiencing social isolation or loneliness
“I once heard Stephen Fry once saying one of his
greatest pleasures is going to dinner on his own
and I can concur”
(Barbican resident)
“I am blessed with friends”
(Middlesex Street resident)
• Residents had various ‘coping
mechanisms’ and ‘alternative social
lifestyles’ or strategies to avoid
feelings of loneliness and social
isolation.
• Experience of being socially active and
volunteering worked for them.
• Accessing City resources
• Location was important - where they
lived.

12. Selected Research Findings: Computer skills
• “I have a lap top but don’t use it very
much…not sure how it works properly...I
phone my family in xxxx
• “A lot of older people cannot use a computer
to order on-line…it would be useful for OAP’s”
• Significant minority of residents had access to
a laptop or a desktop computer.
• Majority had little or no computer skills
beyond word processing.
• Many residents unaware of the social benefits
of using Skype with a camera to keep in touch
with family or friends.

13. Some areas for consideration
1. ‘Bumping’ Spaces
2. ‘A glass half-full?’ Asset Based
Community Development (ABCD)
Approach
3. Community Groups
4. Computer Skills
5. Estate Connections: Building Social
and Community Capital
6. Loneliness and Social Isolation
Forum
7. Pets
8. Volunteering and Befriending
9. Learning from residents not
experiencing social isolation or
loneliness

14. Some areas for consideration
1. ‘Bumping’ Spaces – further develop and create more imaginative community spaces for
people to meet and greet.
2. ‘A glass half-full?’ Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Approach – grow the existing
good community development practice.
3. Community Groups – build on the current excellent group opportunities by further developing
new, different focused and more inclusive groups.
4. Computer Skills – develop a more co-ordinated response to the existing opportunities that
exist – reach those residents in need of computer skills.
5. Estate Connections: Building Social and Community Capital – further develop the existing
good practice by supporting residents from the estates to share ideas for joint community
development activities; help further develop social and community capital.
6. Loneliness and Social Isolation Forum – develop a more strategic response by creating a forum
to bring together all key stakeholders including service users and residents.
7. Pets - Ownership of a pet enhances individuals health and general wellbeing, and promotes
increased social capital across a community. Consideration should be given to revisiting the
current policy.
8. Volunteering and Befriending - A more co-ordinated response to volunteering and
consequently befriending should be considered across the City of London.
9. Learning from residents not experiencing social isolation or loneliness - people with social
connections, friendships, and social networks and a high degree of personal resilience, for eg.
moving on from a situation that creates loneliness such as losing a life partner, seemed to be
either embedded within positive community and social networks and/or have a high degree of
personal social and emotional capital. This is an area in need of further research?

15. Final Thoughts
• Actual prevalence of social isolation and loneliness
across the City of London is still an unknown figure.
• Study has unearthed some ‘hidden’ aspects of
what social isolation and loneliness means to
residents.
• Social connectedness can in all its many forms if
nurtured bring people back from the margins of
their communities.
• Study’s conclusions and areas for consideration see
the need for an over-arching policy and practice
response from the local Health and Wellbeing
Board and other relevant forums.
• Recent LSE conference ‘Loneliness, prevention and
wellbeing’ - very little research on or with service
users experiences - the majority of research on
loneliness is quantitative - USA.
• More qualitative research on social relationships
and social participation needed.
• Focused on the individual estates - tease out the
service user experience and the social complexities
of the different communities that lead to individual
residents experiencing loneliness and for some
isolated lives.