State of the State – the relationship between loneliness and domestic help by Deloitte Consulting

State of the State is an initiative where Deloitte analyses open data using advanced analytics techniques to gain insights that have a social impact. This year one of the theme’s that was studied is loneliness.

Analysis of open data on loneliness in the Netherlands shows a relation between loneliness and the need for domestic help. The interactive visual story shows the results of the analysis and explains the impact of this result. It explains the typical characteristics of people that feel lonely, and proves the fact that loneliness and the need for domestic help are related. This means that loneliness is not only a social problem in the Netherlands, but also has financial impact. Looking at the amount of money that is spent on a yearly basis on domestic help, this emphasizes the need for prevention of loneliness.

There are several ways to prevent loneliness in order to avoid unnecessary cost for domestic help and other ways of care for people that feel lonely, but above all, decrease the loneliness rate in the Netherlands. Prevention of loneliness asks for customized solutions. This study provides insights that can support in defining the right approach for prevention and identifying loneliness at an earlier stage.