Charities and MPs have called on the next government to address the urgent crisis of social disconnection in the UK.

Today, The Cares Family, one of the UK’s leading social connection charities, has called on the two main political parties to make strengthening social connection a key priority by adopting policy recommendations set out in a new report.

The report, Building Connection: A Manifesto, outlines five policy recommendations designed to help strengthen social connection in communities throughout the UK. It argues that the UK is currently facing a crisis of social disconnection which is having a severe impact on public health, personal wellbeing, democracy, and the economy.

Data from 2022 shows that 49.63% of adults (25.99 million people) in the UK reported feeling lonely. Numerous medical studies have highlighted how improved social connection can reduce the risk of developing and worsening heart disease, anxiety, dementia, and diabetes. Additionally, only 45% of younger people feel they belong within their neighbourhood, and the cost of loneliness to UK employers is estimated to be £2.5 billion per year.

The recommendations have cross-party support and are being backed by Kim Leadbeater MP (Batley and Spen, Labour) and Tracey Crouch MP (Chatham and Aylesford, Conservative). Both MPs have a long history of campaigning to reduce loneliness in the UK.

Kim Leadbeater, Labour MP for Batley and Spen, said: “We need urgent action to bring people together in our communities. As part of a cross-departmental approach to health and wellbeing, tackling social disconnection is a personal, public health, and political necessity.”

Tracey Crouch, Conservative MP for Chatham and Aylesford, said: “I’m proud to have launched the first loneliness strategy in 2018 as Minister for Loneliness, and taken bold action to strengthen social connections across the country. It’s vital this work is taken forward and that we ensure the right funding and support is in place for local organisations and groups in every community to tackle loneliness.”

Robin Hewings, Director of the Campaign to End Loneliness, said: “Tackling loneliness has never been more important. New evidence shows that half a million more people are always or often lonely now, compared with before the pandemic.”

Sam Dalton, Head of Campaigns and Policy at The Cares Family, added: “Our crisis of social disconnection is impacting our society in a number of detrimental ways. It is at once a personal, public health and political crisis. We need to act, and we need to act now.”

The Cares Family have released a new report, Building Connection: A Manifesto, which outlines five policy recommendations to help strengthen social connection in communities across the UK. The report has cross-party support and is being backed by Kim Leadbeater MP and Tracey Crouch MP, both of whom have a long history of campaigning to reduce loneliness in the UK. Evidence shows that 49.63% of adults (25.99 million people) in the UK reported feeling lonely, and the cost of loneliness to UK employers is estimated to be £2.5 billion per year. The Cares Family have called on the two main political parties to make strengthening social connection a key priority by adopting the recommendations set out in the report.