How often do older people have contact with neighbours?
In 2022, 69 percent of Dutch over-65s kept in touch with neighbours at least once a week. Another 16 percent communicated with them at least once a month, but not weekly. Around 15 percent contacted neighbours less often, some of them even never. Social interaction between neighbours has declined slightly in nearly all age groups in the last ten years.
More older people (over-65s) than younger people communicate with neighbours at least once a week at 69 percent. The youngest age group (15 to 34‑year-olds) have weekly contact with neighbours least often: 41 percent. This was slightly higher among 35 to 64‑year-olds, 59 percent. Contact with neighbours includes not only actually meeting and chatting with neighbours, but also contact by phone, letter, email, or texting via WhatsApp, for example. In the over-65s group, 21 percent even communicated daily with neighbours in one form or another.
| Leeftijd | At least once a week |
|---|---|
| 15-34 yrs | 41 |
| 35-64 yrs | 59 |
| 65 yrs and over | 69 |
Contact with friends highest in youngest age groups
Young people have more contact with friends than other age groups. Eighty-eight percent of 15 to 34‑year-olds are in contact with their friends at least once a week, compared with 67 percent of over-65s. Contact with family members is at around the same level for all age groups: just over 80 percent meet up with, talk to or text relatives on a weekly basis.
| Sociaal contact | At least once a week | At least once a month | Less than once a month or never |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family | 84 | 11 | 5 |
| Neighbours | 69 | 16 | 15 |
| Friends | 67 | 21 | 12 |
Less and less contact with neighbours
Fewer over-65s have weekly contact with neighbours than ten years ago. While 69 percent were in touch with neighbours at least once a week in 2022, in 2012 this was the case for 75 percent. The same pattern can be observed for younger age groups, too.
Weekly contact between over-65s and their family and friends has not changed much in this period. This fluctuated around 83 percent for relatives and around 68 percent for friends.
A large share of this oldest age group – 84 percent – say they are satisfied with their social activities in general. This percentage is slightly lower for younger people.
| Jaartal | 15-34 yrs | 35-64 yrs | 65 yrs and over |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 57 | 67 | 75 |
| 2013 | 53 | 64 | 76 |
| 2014 | 50 | 64 | 71 |
| 2015 | 49 | 63 | 75 |
| 2016 | 48 | 62 | 75 |
| 2017 | 48 | 61 | 72 |
| 2018 | 44 | 60 | 72 |
| 2019 | 43 | 60 | 74 |
| 2020 | 41 | 58 | 70 |
| 2021 | 40 | 58 | 71 |
| 2022 | 41 | 59 | 69 |
Older people least likely to experience severe social loneliness
Absence of social contacts may lead to feelings of severe social lonelinessnoot1, where people would like to have more contact with family, friends and neighbours. In 2022, 12 percent of over-65s said they felt very lonely. This is the same percentage as the youngest age group, the under-35s. People aged 35 to 64 years experienced feelings of severe social loneliness most (16 percent). Severe social loneliness has fallen by most in the 25 to 34‑year age group.
The questions
- What keeps people from eating healthier?
- What is working people’s income?
- How much of the energy we consume is renewable?
- What percentage wears glasses?
- How are the dragonflies and butterflies doing?
- How many housing units are there?
- How does home burglary affect people?
- In what occupations do most people work from home?
- How much more expensive did food get?
- How many babies were born to unmarried mothers?
- From which countries do most immigrants come?
- How many centenarians are there?
- How do fathers and mothers divide work and care?
- How many cars are there?
- How much milk does a cow produce?
- What portion of income went to food in 1936?
- How many pigs were there in 1910?
- How many cattle and pigs in the Netherlands?
- What do we import from China?
- What type of shop is seen less and less?
- How many nights are spent in Dutch hotels?
- How often do older people have contact with neighbours?
- How many adults comply with the physical activity guidelines?
- Where do international students in the Netherlands come from?
- What are the major religions?
- How many litres of water do we use per day?
- How many millionaires in the Netherlands?
- How many inhabitants in the Netherlands??
- Where can we ride our bikes?
- At what age do workers retire?
- Which day has the most birthdays?
- How many people have a student debt?
- How does CBS handle your privacy?
Noten
Social loneliness
Loneliness is measured by presenting respondents with six statements, which differ for emotional and for social loneliness.
People with feelings of emotional loneliness feel the lack of close companionship with another person/persons. This is measured using statements concerning experiencing feelings of emptiness, missing people close to them, or often feeling let down.
People experiencing social loneliness would like to have more social contacts. This is measured using statements concerning the presence of people in their lives with whom they have a close bond, who they trust, and who they can turn to in times of crisis. If this is not (or not always) the case, this may be an indication of social loneliness.
Overall feelings of loneliness are based on responses to the statements on both social and emotional loneliness.