Local community identification improves wellbeing by reducing loneliness: Longitudinal evidence from two studies

Loneliness is a significant determinant of mental and physical health which has many root causes at local community level. Building on the Social Identity Approach to Health we test a longitudinal version of McNamara et al.'s (2021) neighbourhood identity model of wellbeing, which links local community identification to wellbeing via reduced loneliness. Study 1 was a two-wave survey of residents in mid-Nottinghamshire, UK (T1 N = 879; T2 N = 216). Mediation analyses showed that, over a one-year period, changes in community identification predicted increases in wellbeing via increases in perceived support and reductions in loneliness while controlling for a range of demographic factors. In Study 2, a secondary analysis of a large population-based UK study, i.e. Understanding Society (UKHLS; Waves 9 and 12; n = 38,056) showed that over a three-year period, increases in identification predicted improvements in GHQ-12 mental health and self-rated general health, again via increases in perceived support and reductions in loneliness. Across studies, the effect of neighbourhood identification on wellbeing occurred primarily through loneliness reduction. We discuss implications for reducing health inequalities through local community identity-building and social infrastructure, and outline priorities for policy and future research.