Loneliness and social infrastructure in rural America: A cross-sectional analysis of existing relationships
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: • Associations between loneliness and social infrastructure use were assessed. • Authors drew on a nationally representative sample of rural working-age adults. • Loneliness is less common among those who use some types of social infrastructure. • This is only true for those who spend time talking with others while there. • This remained true after accounting for social contact with family and friends. Loneliness can have deleterious effects on mental, physical and behavioral health. Growing research suggests the important role of social infrastructure in preventing and addressing loneliness. However, much of this work focuses on urban-based case studies, narrow definitions of social infrastructure, and crude measures of use. In addition, research in this area has not taken into account confounding factors that may be explaining this relationship. In this paper, we use a cross-sectional survey of a demographically representative sample ( N = 1129) of working-age adults in rural America to examine if a relationship exists between loneliness and multiple types of social infrastructure utilization among rural working-age adults. We also determine if contact with family and friends (i.e. being less socially isolated) explains this relationship. We find that spending >10 min talking with others in coffee shops, diners, and cafes, salons and barbershops, and religious and spiritual organizations in an average week was associated with a significantly lower odds of screening positive for loneliness compared to those who do not go to these places, even after controlling for level of contact with family and friends and other sociodemographic covariates. This relationship was not present for those who use fast food outlets, fitness or recreation places, or libraries, civic organizations and community centers. Implications for future research and for community-level interventions to prevent loneliness are discussed.
Source: Wellbeing Space and Society
Authors: Danielle Rhubart, Yiping Li
Institution: Pennsylvania State University
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,899
OpenAlex ID: W4409258482