Loneliness in Austria: Caritas raises the alarm about Blue Monday!

Loneliness in Austria: Caritas raises the alarm about Blue Monday!

Vienna, January 17, 2025 - On the occasion of the upcoming “Blue Monday”, the sad Monday of the year, Caritas is drawing attention to the alarming increase in loneliness in Austria. According to a current study by Caritas, more than 600,000 people in Austria feel lonely for more than half of their time. Caritas director Klaus Schwertner explains that loneliness is a “need of our time” and often does not receive the attention it deserves. People with low incomes are particularly affected because they have to limit their social contacts due to the rising cost of living, as Caritas emphasizes in a press release.

Initiatives against loneliness

In order to counteract the problem of loneliness, Caritas launched the “chat network”. Since the project started in April 2020, over 55,000 conversations have been held, with demand increasing in 2024. There are currently around 4,100 volunteers working as chat partners who can be reached on 05 1776 100. In addition, the chat network has achieved considerable reach through its collaboration with Magenta by connecting callers with volunteers who have an open ear. “Loneliness makes you sick,” emphasizes Schwertner, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the problem.

Thanks to the great success of the chat network, Caritas intends to promote new forms of communal living and to further expand meeting opportunities, such as the over 100 chat benches and the 40 warming rooms. These initiatives are aimed at improving social exchange and reintegrating people into society. According to Schwertner, the federal government, states and municipalities as well as civil society must work closely together to effectively combat loneliness and create offers that are more accessible.

You can find out more about the alarming loneliness figures and Caritas' initiatives against loneliness at Kathpress and Caritas Vienna.