'Loneliness' increasing in Wales

Researchers looked at how society had changed over the past 40 years Technology keeps Walter in touch

Wales has become a lonelier place to live since the 1970s, research commissioned by the BBC suggests.

Researchers from the University of Sheffield measured isolation in communities around the UK.

The research suggested Wales had seen a steady increase in people who "did not belong" in recent decades.

But Wales fared well compared with Scotland and many areas of England, with London appearing to have the most isolated population.

The research was carried out on behalf of the BBC as part of Changing UK - The Way We Live Now, which looks at how communities had changed over the past 40 years.

Cultural historian Professor Peter Stead said he was not surprised by the results as Wales had undergone what he called a "revolution" since the 1950s.

"My grandparents' families were in the valleys, one in Merthyr and one in Maesteg. Their houses were never empty," he said.

"Children would always bring in friends, neighbours came round and neighbours were part of the family - you called them uncle and auntie.

"The revolution in Wales since the 1950s and 60s has been as extreme as anywhere in the world."

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Professor Stead said a sense of community had been destroyed by factors such as the decline of pubs and churches, and the building of high-rise flats.

"What did architects think having people living 15 storeys off the ground? That was a destruction of fundamental human rights. I don't think we resisted those changes sufficiently," he said.

Older people particularly have reason to feel isolated as the disappearance of heavy industry in Welsh communities means their families have often moved to find work.

Michael Phillips of Age Concern Cymru said: "The days when we lived and worked around a local industry like coal mining or the docks have gone. People are often having to leave Wales to get jobs.

"We recognise loneliness as a huge problem that can lead to ill health and even death.

"We have figures that 1,500 extra older people die in Wales during the winter months. Primarily that would be the weather but we also think loneliness and isolation contributes to that."

Mr Phillips said another factor contributing to feelings of isolation was that people were working harder than ever before.

"People are leading busy lives and maybe there's less time for volunteering and being neighbourly. Everyone comes home from work, locks the door and puts the television on," he said.

Paul Stockton of Samaritans in Wales said people sometimes felt they had nobody in their lives who would listen to them.

'LONELINESS' INDEX Wales: 2001 - 24.8; 1991 - 23; 1981 - 18; 1971 - 16.5 Scotland: 2001 - 28.5; 1991 - 24.5; 1981 - 18.8; 1971 - 18.5 Britain: 2001 - 26.2; 1991 - 25; 1981 - 19.3; 1971 - 18.7 Figures are for "anomie" (roughly translated as "not belonging") from the University of Sheffield

"We tend to find that lot of people fundamentally feel lonely even though they may have a lot of family or friends around them. Part of it is because people don't necessarily make time to talk to one another these days," he said.

"Some calls we get people talk about issues in their life which may involve a lot of family or friends in their lives but they may feel alone.

"What they mean is they may not have anyone in their lives that they feel comfortable enough to talk to or who will listen to them."

Researchers took figures for 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001 to measure "anomie", an index used to indicate "not belonging" in a particular area.

It uses population statistics and takes into account factors such as the number of single-person households and the number of people renting privately.