Social Isolation and the Cost-of-Living Crisis By Mrs Vera West

Their ABC has a thought-provoking piece on the human cost of the cost-of-living crisis. One key aspect of this is increased social isolation, with even the simple things that would have been taken-for-granted in the Australia before World War II, now becoming out of reach. Thus, friends getting together for a weekend cook-out, and some drinks; too expense, as the meat and alcohol is too expensive. Going to the movies? Forget it, tickets are more than the dole pays per day. The stories are told in the extract below.

The significance of this, lost upon the Great Replacement Albo government, is that this is a clear sign of cultural breakdown. No doubt this government for the elites expects the replacement migrants to do better than the locals, so locals can go to the wall. Isn't it about time that Australians took a lesson from the European farmers? I would be happy to protest march in my wheel chair!

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-10/social-isolation-cost-of-living-senate-committee-finance-stress/103517288?fbclid=IwAR0EfTooXO853LO0cKWgyTPVS-AergjjH78m0QrznducEUtR1txH5R0xIps

"Lindy Kay used to enjoy a meal at the bowling club once a week and would often meet up with girlfriends in town for morning tea.

But nowadays the 74-year-old has more or less stopped going out altogether.

"I don't go anywhere," Ms Kay told the ABC.

"Netflix is my best friend … at $11 a month that's my antisocial entertainment."

Ms Kay lives alone on a property in regional NSW with the closest town at least an hour's drive away.

Due to cost-of-living pressures, she only leaves the house for essentials and goes long stretches of time without social interactions.

"I don't go to the movies, I don't go out for dinner, I don't go to the pub," Ms Kay said.

"I used to love going out ... I've had to get used to isolation."

Reading through public submissions to the Senate committee inquiry into the cost of living, it's clear Ms Kay isn't alone in her experience.

More than 900 Australians so far have shared their stories, revealing how financial stress is forcing many to cut themselves off from friends and family.

What lengths are people taking?

The Australian Institute for Health and Wellbeing (AIHW) 2023 welfare report states that social isolation and loneliness were concerns even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, people say recent financial stress has left them essentially housebound, feeling like they're stuck in a type of cost-of-living lockdown.

Some mentioned that it was starting to impact their mental health.

Social isolation can harm both mental and physical health and may affect life satisfaction, according to the AIHW.

It has been linked to mental illness, emotional distress, suicide, the development of dementia and premature death.

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I personally feel like a social outcast — no outings apart from the necessary. Isolation is real now.

^{— Name withheld}

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I live alone and no longer can afford to go out and socialise so feeling a little lonely and isolated.

^{— Alan Whitaker}

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I'm socially isolated now as I have no money to spend on social activities.

^{— Name withheld}

Family visits scrapped

Many Senate committee submissions cited petrol costs as a reason for cutting back on activities.

One respondent even admitted to taking days off work because they couldn't afford to run their car.

Many say they only travel if it's necessary, and are sacrificing visiting loved ones.

People have gone years now without seeing family.

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I haven't seen my family who live 800km away for 3 years as I cant afford the $300 cost of fuel.

^{— Name withheld}

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[I] won't visit family if have to access by roads with tolls as too expensive ... Can't afford any leisure related activities ... Don't go out for recreation.

^{— Name withheld}

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I can honestly say that my state of mind is slowly deteriorating. So sad that I can't drive to see the grandkids.

^{— Name withheld}

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Not been able to see my granddaughter due to fuel costs. I have no social life, visiting my adult children is nearly impossible due to petrol prices. My mental health has been severely damaged.

^{— Name withheld}

No more inviting friends over

Social activities are being limited to the "antisocial" with people saying they are choosing to stay home and watch movies on television.

Even inviting friends over is out of the picture for many as they struggle to put food on the table for themselves.

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I can't have people round to the house for a meal or afternoon tea as I can't afford the food.

^{— Name withheld}

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I all but avoid social outings to minimise the insane cost of food and alcohol at venues. My girlfriend has done exactly the same. Our once-upon-a-time hobby of eating out on Sundays is now a cooking at home day and watching [a] movie on TV.

^{— Ben Passlow}

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[Family] not seeing each other as we live remotely & it's too expensive to travel. Not having get togethers or BBQs as costs of food are too high. Alcohol is outrageously high to share.

^{— Janet Wright}

Ending Loneliness Together CEO Michelle Lim says social isolation can lead to loneliness, which has been compared to being as deadly as smoking half a packet of cigarettes a day.

"Social isolation is very much as bad for you as loneliness," Dr Lim told the ABC.

"They are related and are bad partners in crime."

Dr Lim has been working on a social connection and cost of living survey with the networking platform Nextdoor, alongside fellow researchers at Sydney University.

Their research found that loneliness rates doubled when people started cutting back on social activities.

Loneliness rates were among the highest for those who stopped having friends around to their homes and going out for meals.

Children miss out on after-school activities

Children are also being affected as parents are forced to exclude them from extracurricular activities.

One mother spoke about the heartbreak she feels for her children.

She said they have become so used to hearing "we can't afford it" that they no longer ask about birthday parties or Christmas presents.

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Our daughter is missing out on vital pre-school activities, she is not learning to swim as it is too expensive, nor is she enrolled in any other activities (except for free play groups) ... Everything has changed ... We do not drive to visit people/shops who live far away, we do not go on holidays or even weekends away.

^{— Jarrah Greensill}

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Restricted family enjoyment time due to cost of travel. no more family holidays. restricted family celebrations. We now stay up late putting all spending into a budget and tracking where all money spent goes and will be going.

^{— Name withheld}

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Your child never expresses an opinion on what they want for their birthday or Christmas, never asks for a birthday party?! How do you think it's affecting us...???!!!

^{— Name withheld}

#br

Jackie Hallan, interim CEO at youth mental health service ReachOut, said it's not just families with children being affected, cost of living is having a "real impact" on young people.

ReachOut surveyed 1,121 people between 16 and 24 years old and found 70 per cent were stressed about their finances, up from 52 per cent in 2022.

Forty per cent had cut down on social activities, and 25 per cent had been limiting organised activities like sports.

"Connection to friends and family is such an important part of your mental health," Ms Hallan said.

"Seeing that taking a hit is a real concern."

The survey found the majority of young people experiencing financial stress were finding it was having an impact on their mental health, affecting their sleep, motivation and mood.

One in five were also taking on extra work, which Ms Hallan says contributes to the cycle of less social connection."