Loneliness is not a personal failing. It's a signal that something is missing. With national statistics demonstrating repeatedly that younger people are more likely to feel lonely, we believe that students’ unions and universities are uniquely positioned to respond.
At Salford SU, we've developed a strategic approach to reducing student loneliness and building belonging. Our Tackling Loneliness Strategy represents a genuine partnership between the Students' Union and the University, bringing together operational delivery, systemic change, and a commitment to learning from the evidence.
Why We're Sharing This?
We believe in working openly. Since publishing our strategy, colleagues across the sector have asked how we're approaching this challenge. So we’ve gathered our top-level thinking here. We hope it’s of benefit to other SUs, professional services teams as well as academics.
We also know that no single institution will solve student loneliness alone. If our approach is useful to others, or if it sparks collaboration, that's a good outcome. We're actively working with academic partners to strengthen the evidence base for loneliness interventions in higher education, and we'd welcome conversations with colleagues interested in this space.
Our Vision
Every student at Salford should feel seen, connected, and part of a community that values them.
The 4 I's Framework
We deliver our strategy through four interconnected pathways, each with clear ownership and accountability:
- Inform: Building awareness, reducing stigma, and training staff and students to recognise loneliness as a normal human experience that can be addressed collectively.
- Intervene: Direct support through our SU Connectors social prescribing programme, student groups, and peer-led activities.
- Influence: Systemic change—working with the University and others to address the structural drivers of loneliness, particularly in timetabling, curriculum design, and the built environment.
- Iterate Continuous learning through data, evaluation, and partnership accountability
View a more comprehensive version of our Theory of Change.
Why This Matters
In 2023, the World Health Organization declared loneliness a global public health concern, recognising the scale of the challenge.
Our own research shows that a third of Salford students who considered dropping out cited loneliness as a reason. This aligns with the Office for Students' Equality of Opportunity Risk 7, which explicitly identifies loneliness and isolation as barriers to student success. We also know that chronic loneliness has been linked to poor mental and physical health, poor academic outcomes and poor employability. It is also linked to increased suicidality.
So we're not treating loneliness as a welfare problem to be managed. We're treating it as a strategic priority that connects to retention, attainment, mental health, and the broader student experience.
Our Data
We measure student loneliness using the UCLA 3-Item Loneliness Scale as part of our regular Pulse surveys. In the spirit of openness, we're sharing this data publicly:
View our live loneliness data
Get in Touch
For queries please contact Ed Moloney, CEO, on E.Moloney@salford.ac.uk