Evidence base
U.S. Office of the Surgeon General
Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community
What it found
This 2023 advisory from the U.S. Office of the Surgeon General reports that roughly half of U.S. adults experience loneliness, and states that the mortality risk associated with social disconnection is comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. It sets out a six-pillar National Strategy to Advance Social Connection as a policy response.
Why it matters for practice
This is the reference point most funders and health systems now cite when justifying investment in connection-focused work, so it's worth reading in full rather than by headline stat. It establishes scale and framing at national policy level, but the six pillars are a strategic outline, not an implementation guide, so readers running programmes will need to look elsewhere for operational detail.