ABSTRACT
Social isolation and loneliness are conceptually and empirically distinct but share several common causes. They are influenced by characteristics of people’s social connections but are also correlated with more distal factors like socioeconomic correlates. In this chapter, we provide a brief overview of the socioeconomic correlates of loneliness and social isolation. We sum up how age, gender, marital status, household composition, ethnic and minority status as well as socioeconomic status are correlated with social isolation and loneliness and why it is important to study these variables. We also discuss the relevance of socioeconomic correlates of social isolation and loneliness reflecting the broader geographical context and discuss implications for future research.
