Some 70,000 people in Barcelona feel lonely often or very often, particularly young people. The municipal campaign “Contra la soledat, reconnectem” is intended to raise awareness about loneliness and launch a new website bringing together over fifty municipal services and a large number of facilities to help people combat unwanted loneliness.

According to the Òmnibus 2022 survey, one in three people between the ages of 16 and 24 feel lonely, a situation accentuated by the consequences of the social and healthcare crisis caused by Covid-19.

Given this situation, and emphasising the fact that people of any age can feel lonely, the campaign “Contra la soledat, reconnectem” seeks to destigmatise loneliness and raise public awareness about how it can affect all of society, from young children through to the elderly, so that anybody can help address the challenge of loneliness in the city.

The new website against loneliness brings together all significant information about this global issue for today’s societies, as well as a test to help identify possible signs of loneliness. It is also a tool for people of all ages who are affected by unwanted loneliness to become familiar with over fifty municipal services, such as “Aquí t’escoltem” and VinclesBCN, plus a map of facilities with spaces to combat loneliness in any stage of life.

Plaça de la Universitat as a space to learn to recognise loneliness

The city will be presenting a participatory installation in Plaça de la Universitat on Friday, 1 July, from 10 am to 8 pm. The installation encourages citizens to respond to a test to recognise loneliness through coloured strings, which will gradually create a symbolic image of loneliness by age in the city.

The campaign forms part of the municipal strategy against loneliness 2020-2030. Full information can be found on the website barcelona.cat/soledat.