Study on Unwanted Isolation

The “Social barometer on unwanted isolation in Spain 2024” is a detailed study that, in a sense, updates the work presented by the AXA and ONCE foundations in 2015, which analyzed the phenomenon of involuntary isolation in Spain. The fight against social isolation has become a challenge for public authorities and society as a whole, and the AXA Foundation has joined forces with the ONCE Foundation to gain further insight and understanding of the phenomenon of isolation. We believe that this work will strengthen our position as a company that gives back to society, by concerning ourselves with issues of major concern to citizens.

AXA Foundation & ONCE Foundation study on unwanted isolation

The aim of this year’s study is to identify trends on the rates of unwanted isolation and public perception of this phenomenon. The study also explores possible causes or correlations with unwanted isolation and examines public opinion of this issue.

With this aim in mind, a total of 2,900 telephone interviews were conducted with Spanish residents aged over 18, which included demographic questions (gender, age, educational level, employment status, place of residence, health status, disability, and other data), in order to compare the results of people who feel isolation with those who do not report this feeling.

Findings from the study on unwanted isolation 2024

This barometer indicates the existence of chronic or long-term feeling of isolation, that involuntary isolation affects women slightly more than men, and that it is particularly widespread among young people. However there is hope. The study states that “it is a reversible problem with a solution,” provided that public authorities prioritize the issue and that society as a whole perceives it to be a “shared 
responsibility.”

The study shows data highlighting the prevalence of unwanted loneliness: 
- One in five individuals (20%) suffers from unwanted isolation in Spain.
- Two out of three people (67.7%) experiencing isolation have been in this situation for more than 2 years.
- Of those who do not currently feel isolated, more than one in three (36.6%) felt quite or very isolated during an extended period of time.
- Unwanted isolation is slightly more common among women (21.8%) than men (18%).
- Unwanted isolation is particularly widespread among young people (34.6% among those aged 18 to 24).

Likewise, the study indicates that isolation, beyond the subjective experience of loneliness, also seems to be linked to multiple issues: with unwanted isolation being much higher among people facing difficulties in other areas, such as health, economic hardship, unemployment, or disability.

As already noted in the first “SoledadES” report in 2015, the vast majority of people believe that the “fight against unwanted isolation should be a priority for the public authorities” and is “a responsibility shared by all members of society”.

The country-wide report was presented at an event held at the headquarters of Por Talento Digital of the ONCE Foundation, with Pablo Bustinduy, Spanish Minister for Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030; Imelda Fernández Rodríguez, fourth vice-president for Social Services, Participation and the ONCERCA Plan of the Governing Council of ONCE, and Josep Alfonso, general director of the AXA Foundation. Detailed findings for Andalusia, Catalonia, Galicia, the Basque Country, and the Valencian Community were presented in the last quarter of 2024. 

To obtain more information about the nation-wide study, see:

Presentation of findings from the Social barometer on unwanted isolation in Spain 2024

Press release on the nation-wide presentation of the Social barometer on unwanted isolation in Spain 2024

Live presentation of the Social barometer on unwanted isolation in Spain 2024 (watch the recording)