Baden-Württemberg is establishing in Stuttgart a statewide alliance against loneliness. The initiative follows a study commissioned by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs entitled “Loneliness and social cohesion in Baden-Württemberg 2025”. According to the study, more than a third of people in the state report moderate to severe loneliness.
The founding conference brings together politicians, public administrators, local authorities, welfare organisations and civil society initiatives. The alliance against loneliness aims to highlight existing services, connect those involved and expand effective approaches across the state. The Baden-Württemberg state government refers to plans in the coalition agreement and to the significance of the issue for health policy.
The study identifies loneliness as a cross-cutting issue affecting all age groups. It finds that feeling lonely is associated with poorer health, lower satisfaction with democratic institutions and reduced participation in society. The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs commissioned the study to identify the groups most affected and prioritise areas for action. The SWR picked up on key findings and reported on their implications for state policy.
Recommended measures include easily accessible points of contact, stronger local networking and a competition for ideas for neighbourhood projects. In the initial phase, the Baden-Württemberg state government plans to set up a central coordination office to bring together ongoing initiatives and share knowledge about effective interventions. The Baden-Württemberg State Statistical Office announced the founding conference and pointed out that people can attend.
Key questions about implementation remain unanswered: how will permanent services be reliably funded, what indicators will be used to measure their impact, and how will local authorities and organisations be formally involved? Representatives of welfare organisations and self-help groups welcome the pooling of efforts, but caution that the coordination office must promptly be given sufficient staff and funding, so that local projects can not only be launched but sustained.
The alliance sees itself as a long-term platform for strategy and exchange, not a short-term campaign. The Baden-Württemberg state government stresses that loneliness is a health risk as well as a social issue. Its establishment marks the start of a coordinated state strategy, to be developed jointly by public authorities, local government and civil society.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).