Loneliness in the Digital Age

The quantitative survey work package of the Loneliness in the Digital Age (LIDA) project. LIDA is a 3 year multi-partner, multi-disciplinary, UK national research project which is investigating how people (who find themselves temporarily isolated or disconnected from their close relations and families) experience loneliness, and the role that digital technologies might play in both amplifying and counteracting such experiences. The project involves a combination of primary qualitative and quantitative research on the experiences of specific groups of people identified as ‘at risk’ of loneliness, as well as applied design and human-computer interaction research where new technologies will be prototyped and evaluated. The project is led by Loughborough University in collaboration with partners at the University of Bath, Newcastle University, the University of Exeter, and the University of Northumbria. The survey is presented to three case study groups, including international students, mobile telecommunications engineers and non-professional carers. The survey measures test a conceptual model of the role of digital communication in situational experience of loneliness and wellbeing. It will investigate whether changes in online and offline social opportunities influence loneliness and wellbeing longitudinally, as well as whether loneliness influences specific occupational, educational and quality of life outcomes.