Evidence base
PMC
Changes in Social Isolation and Loneliness Prevalence During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: The JACSIS 2020-2021 Study
What it found
This study tracked social isolation and loneliness prevalence in Japan across 2020 and 2021 using longitudinal panel data from the JACSIS survey, allowing it to assess change over the course of the pandemic rather than relying on a single-timepoint measurement. It provides a non-US national dataset for this period.
Why it matters for practice
The longitudinal design makes this more useful than cross-sectional pandemic studies for judging whether isolation and loneliness rose, fell, or held steady over time, and the Japanese setting gives programme managers a comparison point against the largely US- and UK-dominated evidence base. Read it alongside local prevalence data before assuming trends transfer directly.