ongoing
LONELY-EUThe Social Isolation and Loneliness in Europe Network: Evidence-Based Policy Recommendations on its Causes, Consequences, and Monitoring
principal investigator / project leader
Ph.D. / Associate Professor
project value: PLN 12,834,233 (EUR 299,9283.28)
SWPS University’s budget: PLN 1,184,829 (EUR 276,887.51 )
funding source: European Commission
discipline: psychology, sociology
location: Warsaw
duration: 2025 2026 2027 2028
The LONELY-EU project is financed by the EU’s Horizon Europe program (HORIZON-CL2-2024-TRANSFORMATIONS-01), project no. 101177225.
This international research project carried out by a consortium of 8 universities focuses on an important social problem — Social Isolation and Loneliness (SIL) — that is prevalent in the countries of the European Union. The SWPS University’s team contributing to this endeavor is led by Katarzyna Growiec, Ph.D. from the Department of Personality Psychology.
The project brings together a variety of stakeholders, including researchers, practitioners, and politicians, who aim to curb SIL in Europe. The international research consortium is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The LONELY-EU project meets Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Project objectives
The project will provide evidence-based recommendations for the prevention, mitigation and monitoring of SIL in Europe, at the individual and societal level. Under the patronage of Evelyn Regner, Vice President of the European President, and Hendrik Wüst, Minister-President of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the consortium will develop a pan-European network for supporting persons experiencing SIL. Furthermore, the researchers will develop a European Social Isolation and Loneliness Index.
SWPS University will contribute to several deliverables of the projects. They will:
- Compile a database on social isolation and loneliness
- Analyze the economic impact of SIL on the EU countries.
The LONELY-EU consortium, includes 7 European universities. Our goal is to provide decision makers with a list of effective practices to mitigate SIL, develop a questionnaire for the measurement and monitoring of loneliness, and enable a comprehensive assessment of causes and consequences of SIL in every EU country.
Growiec, Katarzyna
Principal Investigator
Specialization
social psychologist
First and last name
Katarzyna Growiec
Academic degree or title
Ph.D. / Associate Professor
Role in the Faculty
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Role in the Department
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Email
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Position
profesor uczelni
Role in the Institute
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Institute
Institute of Psychology
Role in the Research Center
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Ph.D. / Associate Professor Katarzyna Growiecsocial psychologist
Methodology
The researchers will apply advanced statistical methods to analyze existing data to create a comprehensive, dynamic, open, accessible, and sustainable evidence map, which will shed light on the socioeconomic causes and impacts of SIL.
Practical application of results
The project will:
- Provide evidence for policy foundation, i.e., will develop a European Social Isolation and Loneliness Index — a groundbreaking framework for the monitoring of SIL across the EU
- Leverage established networks to build the SIL Network Europe, an EU-wide network of SIL stakeholders under the patronage of Evelyn Regner, Vice President of the European President, and Hendrik Wüst, Minister-President of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Research consortium
Members of the research consortium include:
- Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Germany) – project coordinator
- Stichting VU (The Netherlands)
- Annecy Behavioral Science Lab (France)
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Italy)
- SWPS University (Poland)
- Università degli Studi di Milano (Italy)
- Robert Blaauboer (The Netherlands).
Read more on the official webpage of the LONELY-EU project.
The project is Financed by the European Union. However, the views and opinions are solely those of the researchers and authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). The European Union or REA are not responsible for these views.