Are Edinburgh residents isolated from each other?
Last week a BBC-commissioned study found that Edinburgh is the loneliest place to live in the UK.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Sheffield, claimed that 33.1% of Edinburgh residents were likely not to feel as they are part of or involved with their local community. The neighbourhood of Holyrood was the loneliest within Edinburgh, with 86.6% of residents likely to be disconnected.
The study calculated its figures from the number of non-married adults resident in an area, as well as the number of one-person households, the number of people who have moved to their current address within the past year, and the number of people renting privately.
The researchers found that the loneliness figure had risen by 13% in Edinburgh since 1971, overtaking London to attain the dubious distinction of being the loneliest city in the country.
Yet, I cannot help but wonder if the factors under consideration truly indicate whether a population is “lonely.” Steve Cardownie, deputy leader of the Edinburgh City Council, questions whether individuals living in one-person households actually do feel lonely. He pointed out that individual personalities must be taken into consideration, and that some people may prefer to be on their own. I tend to agree – some people simply enjoy having their own space, and thus solo living is perhaps more conducive to their well-being. The fact that a person lives alone also does not indicate whether they have a support network of family and friends who may reside in different neighbourhoods or communities, but still be very much connected to that person’s life. Similarly, a non-married adult may still enjoy a range of other relationships, and can even be involved with a romantic partner whom they are not ready or interested in marrying.
Cardownie also points out that Edinburgh has a large student population and a financial sector which attracts many young and fledgling professionals. As the study also takes into account the number of persons who have recently moved into their current community, the transient nature of student life and accommodation will necessarily affect its figures. However, students often engage in an active social and community life, so their living situation again does not necessarily reflect upon their “loneliness,” at least not after they have settled into university life. Similarly, young professionals may simply not yet have had a chance to establish a family or concrete social life, but this is a temporary situation. Many may simply also be in a phase of their lives in which they wish to focus predominantly on their career. Hence, although technically they may be somewhat disconnected from their community, they do not necessarily consider themselves to be “lonely.”
This raises the final issue that loneliness is a feeling more so than a state of being. People could be identified as “lonely” by a study such as this without actually feeling any such emotion themselves. Cardownie notes that much community disconnectedness may be attributable to increased use of technology in society. With online shops and services and a range of entertainment options that centre around a television screen or computer, it is easy to avoid direct interpersonal interaction. However, some people are content in this lifestyle, and many find a degree of social interaction online that has evaded them in everyday life. While there is much to be said for the benefits of regular, face-to-face human interaction, a person’s happiness ultimately comes down to how content they feel with their situation. If someone is not conscious of lack, and feels that their needs are being met, being officially “lonely” may not be a problem.
