Immigrant status and loneliness among older Canadians

Prevalence of loneliness among Canadians has become an important concern because of its wider consequences on health and well-being. However, there are limited Canadian studies about loneliness disaggregated by gender and across various subgroups of older Canadians, particularly immigrant subgroups.

Data from the Canadian Health Survey on Seniors (CHSS) - 2019/2020 were used to estimate the prevalence of loneliness among older Canadians in a nationally representative sample of 38,941 Canadians aged 65 and older. The association between immigrant status and loneliness was assessed using multivariable logistic regression adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic and health characteristics. Analyses were conducted for men and women combined and separately.

In 2019/2020, an estimated 1.1 million older Canadians (19.2%) experienced loneliness, with women having significantly higher likelihood of being lonely than men. Among men, both European and non-European immigrants were more likely to experience loneliness than the Canadian-born population. Among women, the likelihood of loneliness was higher among European immigrants than among those born in Canada. For both men and women, immigrants who migrated as adults (from ages 18 to 44) and long-term immigrants (20 years or more in Canada since immigration) were at higher risk of loneliness than the Canadian-born population. The likelihood of being lonely was higher among people living with multimorbidity or experiencing barriers to social participation.

The findings underscore the importance of considering immigrant subgroups and gender in examining loneliness among older Canadians and when developing policies and programs to address loneliness.