Home-Start UK is warning of a loneliness crisis among parents as it releases new survey findings today

A new survey commissioned by Home-Start UK, reveals potential widespread loneliness among UK parents, with over 4-in-5 (82%) reporting they have experienced feelings of isolation.

The study, carried out by YouGov, highlights the scale of isolation felt by parents and carers during critical stages of their children’s development and identifies an urgent need for addressing loneliness for families across the country.

Key findings from the survey include:

• Isolation among parents: Almost 1-in-5 (18%) of parents surveyed say they rarely or never have meaningful contact with another adult outside their household, showing the extent of isolation experienced by many families, while over 4-in-5 (82%) reporting they have experienced feelings of isolation.
• Younger parents are more likely to feel isolated: Young parents are much more likely to report feeling isolated than older parents. 28% of parents aged 18-24 say they always or often feel lonely, compared to 20% of parents aged 35-44, and just 16% of parents aged 45-54.
• Difference made by employment: Parents who are not working are over twice as likely to always or often feel lonely or isolated, than those who are working, with people who are unemployed three times more likely (working: 16% v unemployed: 48% v not working/other: 36%).  
• Loneliness is felt by dads as well as mums: Men are as likely as women to say they rarely or never have meaningful contact with other adults outside the household (17% v 19%) and are just as likely to say they often or aways have feelings of loneliness and isolation (18% v 20%).
• Lower incomes make isolation worse: Those on lower incomes are more likely to say they always or often feel lonely, compared to those on higher incomes. (24% in C2DE v 15% in ABC1), and the high cost of living being the leading factor given contributing towards feelings of loneliness or isolation (48%)

In response Home-Start UK, which supports families and children across the UK through a network of 177 local charities, is calling for greater recognition of the impact of isolation on parents and the creation of a compassionate community to support parents in their role of raising children.

On releasing the research, Home-Start’s chief executive, Peter Grigg said:
“This survey paints a painful picture of a loneliness crisis in parenthood. Even though we are more digitally connected than ever, too many parents are missing meaningful connections with other adults, and this is having a devastating impact on their ability to cope as well as on child development.

Parenting can be so joyful, but where parents and carers are isolated, parents can lack emotional support and children miss social interaction. Parents and carers are the most important factor in a child’s development and so it is important for all our futures that we provide compassionate communities of support for families in the critical early years of childhood.

Loneliness can affect all parents and carers, but our study shows feelings of isolation are highest among single parents, younger parents and families on lower incomes. Our survey also confirms that fathers are as likely to feel isolated in parenthood as mothers. Parents and carers have such an important role to play, and that is why Home-Start is calling for a societal step-change in supporting the most crucial job there could possibly be – raising children.”

To help create this change Home-Start UK is calling for:

• Increased investment in family support for parents, including extended funding for Family Hubs past March 2025

• Greater investment in the voluntary sector at a local and national level to develop and deliver community based services for parents and children

The new survey of parents reveals the Impact of rising cost-of-living and the mental health concerns of parents. 48% of parents cited the high cost of living as a significant factor contributing to their feelings of loneliness or isolation while 43% of parents acknowledged that mental health challenges play a role in their sense of isolation. Those with the youngest children find physical distance from family and friends as a major contributor to their loneliness and would like more community-based support.

The findings highlight a crisis of parents feeling cut off from the wider community, with social isolation having consequences on their mental health. With inflation driving up the prices of basic living essentials in recent years many families are finding it difficult. Financial strains can cause them to cut back on social activities which leads to further isolation.

The release of this new data coincides with the latest information from the local survey of the 177 Home-Starts across the UK.

In the past year Home-Start has seen a 29% increase in the number of families supported, with the charity now supporting 57,000 families and 73,000 children. Home-Starts also report a 47% increase in the number of families requiring support with finances and household debt since 2021, and a rise in families experiencing mental health struggles of 53%.

Peter Grigg continued:

“Findings in our survey highlight the hidden struggles that many parents face on a daily basis. Parents tell us they are nervous to share their struggles as parents with other adults for fear if judgement and some parents lack the confidence to connect with other parents. The prohibitive costs of groups and activities and travel can make it even more isolating for parents and carer on low incomes.

“We have to create more compassionate communities and greater investment in places and spaces that allow parents and children to be together. We can go further by building health, education and social care systems built around the needs of families and children, and an economy that alleviates poverty and reduces parental stress. Employers should continue to progress ways to value and support parenting and caring responsibilities and we need greater public support to create a wider movement behind importance of early childhood.

“This is why we’re today we’re calling for increased funding for support for parents, including one-to-one support and extra meeting places for parents and for the government to commit to extending the funding for Family Hubs past March 2025 and the eventual expansion of early years provision. We are also calling for a re-engagement with voluntary and community-based organisations, that play an essential role in creating relational, compassionate support for families and children, but why have come under incredible financial pressure in recent years.”

Home-Start UK have also launched a new campaign – “We answer the cries you cannot hear” – to raise awareness of the challenges faced by parents. Three poignant short films have been made to highlight critical issues such as maternal mental health, the impact of the cost of living on families, and the grief faced by parents with young children, and to ask – who is there for parents facing crisis?

The films highlight the challenges faced by parents like Fahima, who found herself living in a hostel with a four-year-old during pregnancy. Fahima said “My mental health declined rapidly due to being sick with hyperemesis, homelessness, and loneliness. By the time I gave birth, I was in a very bad place, struggling to even perform basic tasks like showering or holding my baby. Without Home-Start I believe I would have had a severe breakdown” 

For more information about the campaign and to view the films, click here