New research from the University of Glasgow reveals that people living in rural Scottish communities are less likely to experience loneliness and poor wellbeing than those living in urban areas.

The study, published in the Journal of Public Health, looked at the differences in loneliness, social support, and social networks between urban and rural-based individuals.

Led by the University of Glasgow’s Dr Emily Long, researchers found that while levels of social support for urban and rural residents were ‘broadly’ equivalent, urban residents experienced greater loneliness.

Overall, urban residents also had higher rates of poor wellbeing than people living in rural areas of Scotland.

The research team explains that social connections are vital to good health – with loneliness and isolation linked to a number of negative outcomes, from poorer physical and mental health to a greater need for healthcare services and even early mortality.

Recognising the global scale of the issue, the World Health Organisation announced that loneliness should be a public health priority three years ago.

One in five adults across Scotland report being lonely and mental wellbeing has declined significantly since the pandemic.

Now, this study reveals that less lonely rural residents had more contact with people of different ages.

Dr Emily Long, Research Fellow at the University’s Medical Research Council/Chief Scientist Office Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, said:

“We believe this could be due to the smaller population of rural areas, limiting the social pool and encouraging rural adults to seek social relationships with people in different life stages than themselves.

“Our study shows that multiple dimensions of relationships are important to wellbeing, and that efforts to strengthen these relationships are particularly needed in urban areas.

“There’s something about these environments that makes people more vulnerable to loneliness.”

The researchers found that both social support and ‘perceived emotional closeness’ of social networks were related to better wellbeing.

Researchers conclude that while place alone does not significantly alter the relationship between loneliness, social support and wellbeing, changeable aspects of social structures within communities could be leveraged in policy and intervention work.

These features include how many social connections each person has and the different attributes represented by people across the social network.

The researchers emphasise that this study “reaffirms the importance of close social contact for an individual’s overall wellbeing”, with study lead, Dr Long adding:

“Our research suggests that programmes and initiatives should focus on improving the exchange of support and building closeness in existing relationships, rather than relying on activities that are only aimed at building more social connections.”

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