Among people who regularly feel lonely, 8 out of 10 experience loneliness as an ordeal, which is 9 million people in France.
The impact of the economic situation
According to the responsible for the studies in "France Foundation"Ann Cogniu "The proportion of people who are isolated varies greatly depending on their economic status".
Explain the location "Sky News Arabia" it’s a "The poorer a person is, the weaker his social ties. Whereas, among low-income people, 15% suffer from loneliness, compared to 8% in the high-income group".
And count The unemployment also an exacerbating factor for this phenomenon, as Cogno says," The unemployed are twice as isolated as the working population.
A phenomenon that seems to have been reinforced by the health crisis. As 21% of the unemployed feel isolated in 2022, compared to 18% in 2020.".
And if true isolation recedes, this is not the case for loneliness. Whereas among people who are integrated into social relationships, such as family members who do not live under one roof, friends, neighbors, or work colleagues, the rate of loneliness reaches 17%, while others believe that the quality and nature of their bonds are insufficient or a source of suffering.
Unity takes hold in stages
The study writes that loneliness begins in stages, at different times in life, often after a series of traumatic events that weaken the fabric of an individual’s relationships. This turns out "Entering isolation" sometimes to "entrenched isolation".
This is the case of the elderly immigrants or what is known as"Al Shaibani" In France, supported by the Association "Olivier de Sage"in Lyon, southeastern France.
And according to the statement of the director of the association, Zahra Farhat, to the website "Sky News Arabia"، "70 percent of these immigrants involved in the association, most of whom are Algerians and mostly men, live in a retirement home for former migrant workers. They arrived in France in the fifties and sixties, and refused to conduct "family gathering" to their wives and children. Today they are alone, visiting their families in their home country every two or three years, depending on their pension. Laying behind they have a kind of constant loneliness and depression because of their daily routine".
follow up "They have played a role all their lives"material breadwinner"to their families, and today they no longer have any other connection with them".
The authors of the study stress that this feeling of loneliness, which affects women more than men, is experienced by single mothers as well because of their preoccupation with their children and domestic work, which increases withdrawal from the social world." As well as people who live in social homes or in prison, for example.
"Remove the stigma" about loneliness
To encourage those involved "Unkind feeling" On asking for help and scurrying, Cogno sees it "It is necessary to remove the stigma of loneliness and negative representations of this phenomenon and to promote involvement in associations to create social bonds and strengthen their self-confidence.".
That’s why you invite "France Foundation" To make a change in public perception to make people understand that loneliness is not a personal problem but a societal phenomenon that can affect everyone, at all ages.
The study authors insist that the percentage of lonely people is not declining despite the end of the pandemic corona. Even if there is a ‘social life’, one in five people feel lonely on a regular basis, ‘almost every day’ or ‘often’.
Among people who regularly feel lonely, 8 out of 10 experience loneliness as an ordeal, which is 9 million people in France.
The impact of the economic situation
According to Anne Cogneux, responsible for studies at the Fondation de France, “the proportion of people in isolation varies greatly according to their economic situation.”
“The poorer a person is, the weaker his social ties are. Among low-income people, 15% suffer from loneliness, compared to 8% in the high-income group,” she told Sky News Arabia.
And count The unemployment Also an exacerbating factor for this phenomenon, says Cogno, “The unemployed suffer twice as much isolation as the working population.
A phenomenon that seems to have been reinforced by the health crisis. As 21% of the unemployed feel isolated in 2022 compared to 18% in 2020.
And if true isolation recedes, this is not the case for loneliness. Whereas among people who are integrated into social relationships, such as family members who do not live under one roof, friends, neighbors, or work colleagues, the rate of loneliness reaches 17%, while others believe that the quality and nature of their bonds are insufficient or a source of suffering.
Unity takes hold in stages
The study writes that loneliness begins in stages, at different times in life, often after a series of traumatic events that weaken the fabric of an individual’s relationships. This “entering solitude” sometimes turns into “solidified solitude”.
This is the case of elderly immigrants, or what is known as “chibani” in France, who are supported by the “Olivie de Sage” association, in the city of Lyon, southeast France.
According to the director of the association, Zahra Farhat, to Sky News Arabia, “70 percent of these immigrants involved in the association, most of whom are Algerians and most of them men, live in a retirement home for former migrant workers. They arrived in France in the fifties and sixties, and they refused the procedure.” “Family gathering” for their wives and children. Today they are alone, visiting their families in their home country every two or three years, depending on their pension. Khalaf put a kind of loneliness and constant depression because of their daily routine.
And she continues, “They have played throughout their lives the role of ‘financial breadwinner’ for their families, and today they no longer have any other connection with them.”
The authors of the study stress that this feeling of loneliness, which affects women more than men, is experienced by single mothers also because of their preoccupation with their children and domestic work, which increases withdrawal from the social world, as well as people who live in social homes or in prison, for example.
“Remove the stigma” about loneliness
To encourage those concerned with this “hard feeling” to seek help and loosen up, Cogno believes that “it is necessary to remove the stigma of loneliness, negative representations of this phenomenon, and to promote involvement in associations to create social bonds and strengthen their self-confidence.”
This is why the France Foundation calls for a change in public perception to make people understand that loneliness is not a personal problem but a societal phenomenon that can affect everyone, at all ages.