Summary: A UCL study found that older adults in England who were socially connected before the COVID-19 pandemic experienced a sharper decline in quality of life and life satisfaction and a larger increase in loneliness during 2020 than their more socially isolated peers. The research used nationally representative survey data to compare changes in well-being, health behaviors, financial concerns and internet use between socially isolated and non‑isolated older adults.
Researchers analyzed longitudinal data from 4,636 people in England, with an average age of 67, collected before the pandemic (2018–19) and at two points during 2020 (June/July and November/December). The analysis shows a complex pattern: although socially isolated older adults had poorer well‑being before the pandemic, their decline in some measures during 2020 was smaller than that of their socially connected counterparts. At the same time, isolated participants saw larger drops in physical activity and remained more worried about their future finances.
Key Facts:
- The study followed 4,636 participants from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, mean age 66.8 years.
- Before the pandemic, socially isolated older adults had lower quality of life and higher loneliness; during 2020 their decline in life satisfaction and quality of life was smaller than among more socially connected peers.
- Socially isolated participants experienced greater reductions in physical activity, greater declines in smoking, and continued to report concerns about future finances; they did not increase regular internet use as much as non‑isolated participants.
Source: UCL
Summary of findings
The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), applied an outcome‑wide longitudinal approach to compare multiple domains of well‑being and behavior. Social isolation was defined using an index that included marital status, frequency of social contact, and participation in clubs, organizations or societies measured in 2018–19. Nearly 29% of respondents met the criteria for social isolation.
Before the pandemic, socially isolated older adults already reported lower quality of life and greater loneliness. However, between the pre‑pandemic period and the two survey waves in 2020, these isolated participants showed smaller declines in life satisfaction and quality of life and a smaller increase in loneliness than non‑isolated participants. In other words, the change in subjective well‑being during the pandemic was less severe for those who had been socially isolated prior to the crisis.
UCL co‑author Professor Andrew Steptoe noted that these results are counterintuitive to initial expectations: rather than being uniformly more vulnerable, many isolated older people experienced fewer disruptions in their daily routines when pandemic restrictions were imposed, which may have buffered them against some negative effects. Lead author Claryn Kung suggested that people with richer social lives likely experienced greater disruption to habitual social rhythms, contributing to sharper declines in well‑being.
Despite this relative protection on some measures, socially isolated participants did fare worse in other important areas. The study found a larger decline in physical activity among isolated adults, widening health behavior disparities. Isolated older adults were also more likely to remain worried about their future financial situations. In terms of technology, non‑isolated participants increased their regular internet use during 2020, whereas isolated participants showed no comparable increase.
Across both groups, some outcomes followed similar patterns: general health and sleep quality largely showed no change, while symptoms of depression and anxiety increased for many older adults during the pandemic. Expectations of future financial difficulties decreased overall, but isolated participants remained more likely to report financial worries.
Implications
The findings underline that the impacts of major societal disruptions can be uneven and sometimes unexpected. While socially connected older adults may be at increased risk of short‑term declines in subjective well‑being when social routines are disrupted, socially isolated older adults continue to face persistent disadvantages such as lower physical activity and ongoing financial concerns. The study highlights the importance of tailored support: sustained care and engagement for isolated older adults, along with attention to the sudden needs of those whose social lives are disrupted in crises.
Funding: The research received support from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and the US National Institute on Aging.
About this research
Author: Mark Greaves, UCL
Source: UCL
Contact: Mark Greaves – UCL
Image credit: Neuroscience News
Original research: “Changes in well‑being among socially isolated older people during the COVID‑19 pandemic: An outcome‑wide analysis,” by Claryn Kung et al., published in PNAS (open access).
Abstract (concise)
Applying an outcome‑wide longitudinal design to 4,636 participants from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, observed in 2018–19 and twice in 2020, the study compared changes in well‑being, health behaviors, financial well‑being and internet use between socially isolated and non‑isolated older adults. From before to during the pandemic, isolated participants (29%) experienced smaller declines in life satisfaction and quality of life and a smaller increase in loneliness, but showed greater declines in physical activity and were more likely to remain worried about future finances. Isolated older adults did not increase regular internet use, unlike non‑isolated peers. Although socially isolated older adults generally had poorer outcomes prior to the pandemic, they were somewhat protected from some of the negative impacts of pandemic restrictions, underscoring the need for continued support and targeted responses during crises.