Proportion of elderly Hongkongers struggling with moderate or severe loneliness almost doubles since 2018, study finds

Survey from CUHK and Salvation Army finds proportion of elderly with feelings of moderate or severe loneliness rose from 35.3 to 68.3 per cent since last poll in 2018

Researchers also asked residents aged 60 and above to rate feelings of loneliness out of six, with survey reporting average score of 3.56

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Experts have urged society to place greater importance on tackling the rising number of elderly people feeling lonely. Photo: Jelly Tse

Published: 7:45pm, 29 May 2024Updated: 3:33pm, 30 May 2024

Corrected [3:27pm, 30 May, 2024]

[3:27pm, 30 May, 2024]
This story has been corrected to reflect that the survey found the proportion of elderly residents experiencing loneliness rose more than 33 percentage points not 30 per cent as first reported.

The proportion of elderly Hongkongers struggling with moderate or severe loneliness has almost doubled since 2018, a joint study from a university and charity has found.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Salvation Army said on Wednesday that society needed to place greater importance on tackling the growing problem.

“It is important to evaluate the loneliness level of the elderly, and hence provide suitable measures for them,” clinical psychologist and project consultant Stephen Mann Ka-Fai said.

The joint study involved interviews with more than 300 people aged 60 and above living in the community and at care homes, with researchers asking respondents to grade their sense of loneliness out of six.

The average score from respondents stood at 3.56, compared with a score of two from the previous survey conducted in 2018.

The survey also found that the proportion of elderly people who experience moderate or severe feelings of loneliness had risen from 35.3 per cent to 68.3 per cent in the interval between the studies.