Episode 8: A Lonely Planet Is Anybody Out There?

In 2018, the UK was the first country to appoint a Minister of Loneliness, making the issue a parliamentary priority. Japan followed suit in February, while Sweden and Australia are actively campaigning to appoint a dedicated loneliness official in their respective countries.
With such a top-down commitment to tackling the loneliness crisis, change makers in these countries have the necessary support to implement successful strategies to help fight loneliness at official and community levels. Some of these initiatives are highlighted in this episode.
Here in the United States, three in five Americans reported feeling lonely or isolated (pre-Covid) with the issue costing Medicare over $6 billion a year. So, why do we not have an official tasked with addressing this problem? Isn't loneliness a significant enough issue that the US government should intervene? And why are this country's loneliness resources mostly aimed at seniors, when younger generations are lonelier than ever? By engaging in this frank and honest analysis of the situation here in America and worldwide, hosts Judy and Jeremy hope it will lead to more powerful narratives of togetherness in the future.
Links
Loneliness among millennials and gen Z'ers 
New mothers and loneliness
The Campaign to End Loneliness
The Can't Sing Choir
The Choir With No Name
Minister of Loneliness UK
The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness
Jo Cox speech to Parliament
Minister of Loneliness, Japan
Robots to help with loneliness
Single person households, worldwide
The Swedish Theory of Love
Erik Gandini
Zygmunt Bauman
Colive, Sweden
No Isolation
The Loneliness Project
Australia campaigns for Minister of Loneliness 

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