Table 1.
Descriptive information about socio-demographic, quality of living conditions, level of social integration and loneliness characteristics
| Anglo-Saxon (n = 1363) | Continental (n = 3468) | Eastern (n = 3234) | Nordic (n = 2272) | Southern (n = 1052) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | |||||
| 60–74 | 71.0 | 71.2 | 72.2 | 70.4 | 61.9 |
| 75+ | 29.0 | 28.8 | 27.8 | 29.6 | 38.1 |
| Gender | |||||
| Men | 47.9 | 50.9 | 41.1 | 50.2 | 48.7 |
| Women | 52.1 | 49.1 | 58.9 | 49.8 | 51.3 |
| Educational level | |||||
| Primary | 49.7 | 27.6 | 48.7 | 35.3 | 80.0 |
| Secondary | 15.4 | 39.7 | 35.4 | 27.3 | 6.8 |
| Tertiary | 35.0 | 32.6 | 15.9 | 37.4 | 13.2 |
| Self-rated health | |||||
| Good | 61.4 | 52.5 | 27.4 | 61.0 | 38.0 |
| Poor | 38.6 | 47.5 | 72.6 | 39.0 | 62.0 |
| Household size | |||||
| 1 | 32.0 | 24.7 | 25.5 | 30.9 | 15.7 |
| 2 | 56.7 | 66.0 | 47.3 | 64.5 | 52.1 |
| 3 and above | 11.3 | 9.3 | 27.2 | 4.5 | 32.2 |
| Feeling of safety | |||||
| Safe | 72.9 | 75.9 | 77.4 | 86.8 | 78.8 |
| Unsafe | 27.1 | 24.1 | 22.6 | 13.2 | 21.2 |
| Marital status | |||||
| Married/partnered | 62.5 | 70.7 | 59.0 | 61.0 | 69.6 |
| Divorced/separated | 11.8 | 9.1 | 6.5 | 15.3 | 5.1 |
| Widowed | 19.7 | 15.7 | 30.8 | 15.0 | 21.2 |
| Single (never married) | 5.9 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 8.8 | 4.1 |
| Frequency of being social | |||||
| Less than once a month | 10.0 | 7.2 | 31.7 | 4.8 | 10.6 |
| Once a month or more | 26.3 | 39.5 | 36.1 | 31.7 | 17.9 |
| Once a week or more | 63.7 | 53.3 | 32.1 | 63.5 | 71.5 |
| Number of confidants | |||||
| 0–1 | 21.7 | 15.9 | 34.4 | 17.9 | 23.0 |
| 2–3 | 39.3 | 40.1 | 38.6 | 40.9 | 38.8 |
| 4 and above | 39.0 | 44.0 | 27.0 | 41.3 | 38.3 |
| Loneliness | |||||
| None or almost none of the time | 74.0 | 76.4 | 59.3 | 79.7 | 68.5 |
| Some of the time | 19.8 | 17.8 | 22.6 | 15.9 | 19.9 |
| Most of the time | 3.3 | 3.3 | 12.4 | 2.1 | 7.5 |
| All or almost all of the time | 2.9 | 2.6 | 5.7 | 2.3 | 4.1 |