It’s the first-ever Loneliness Awareness Week in Oz, and a new report suggests social disconnection is a bigger issue than many realise. The Ending Loneliness Together survey talked to 4,000 Aussies aged between 18-92yo. A third of the respondents reported feeling lonely, and 1 in 6 said they felt severely lonely. Here’s a good breakdown by age group, but young people between 18-24yo had the highest levels of often/always feeling lonely (38%), followed by the 45-54yo cohort (36%). In a bit of a surprise, senior Aussies (+75yos) were the least lonely (13%). Those numbers have researchers pointing to a need for more community connection. Survey lead Michelle Lim says feeling “like you can go to your neighbours for help, feeling that your neighbourhood is safe and that you can rely on other people” is linked to less loneliness. Time to knock on your neighbour’s door for a cup of flour…