Organisations’ meeting places reduce loneliness – 80% of survey respondents feel an impact

Loneliness among working-age people in Western Uusimaa has increased over the past few years and is now at a higher level than loneliness experienced by older people.

• In 2020, 11.4% of working-age people in Western Uusimaa felt lonely.
• In 2024, their proportion had already increased to 14.3%. About one out of ten older people (65+) in our area felt lonely in 2024.

As part of our regional wellbeing plan, we measured the impact of organisations’ meeting place activities on residents’ loneliness. The surveys were implemented in 2024 and 2025, and we received more than 400 responses both times.

The results are encouraging:

• The people who attended organisations’ meeting place activities found that participation in the activities gave them meaningful things to do, new social contacts and an alternative to staying at home.
• 80% of the respondents agreed somewhat or completely with the statement “Participating in the activities has reduced my loneliness”.

Meeting places are an important way of strengthening the sense of community and wellbeing in our area.

Our wellbeing services county supports organisations with annual organisational grants.

Thank you for meeting people!

Read the results of the survey:

For more information, contact Isla Huijsen, isla.huijsen@luvn.fi and Jenni Björksten, jenni.bjorksten@luvn.fi

To find the services offered by organisations in your area, go to our Wellbeing Services website.