Loneliness and Societal Pessimism: Longitudinal Evidence From Norway

This study examines the longitudinal association between loneliness and societal pessimism, i.e., the belief that society is in decline and that people are unable to bring about positive change. Using longitudinal data from 4049 respondents in the Norwegian Generations and Gender Survey (GGS-II), we estimate conditional change score models to assess whether baseline loneliness predicts within-person increases in societal pessimism. Loneliness was measured using the six-item De Jong Gierveld scale, and societal pessimism was captured through a 13-item index covering a range of societal concerns. Results adjusted for baseline pessimism and a range of sociodemographic covariates show that loneliness at baseline was associated with greater increases in societal pessimism. These findings underscore the broader societal impact of loneliness, suggesting that it may not only affect individual wellbeing but also shape attitudes toward society and the future.