10. Loneliness, relative deprivation and life satisfaction

Among other things, the analysis presented in this chapter shows that: • People aged 80 and older are the most vulnerable to loneliness. • More women than men report feeling lonely, but this difference lessens with age and for those over 80 years old it remains notable only on the ‘feel lack of companionship’ dimension of loneliness. • There is a socio-economic gradient in loneliness. • Living with a partner and feeling her or him very close lowers rates of loneliness. • Having children but not feeling close to any of them is associated with higher rates of loneliness than being childless. • Contact with children is an important correlate of loneliness. • People without friends report the highest rates of loneliness. • The older people become, the less they feel that the money they have is insufficient to meet their needs. • The older people become, the more they feel deprived compared with people around them. • Being of pre-retirement age (less than 60) or over 80 negatively affects levels of satisfaction with life. • Relationships with friends and family exert a powerful influence on people’s life satisfaction. • Wealth is an important determinant of people’s life satisfaction but its effect declines over the age of 75.