Ethnic inequalities in loneliness in Britain during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS)

Ethnic minority populations faced a disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Loneliness, a significant public health issue, was exacerbated during the pandemic. Most previous studies used aggregated ethnic groups and overlooked underrepresented groups. This study explored ethnic inequalities in loneliness across 21 disaggregated ethnic groups in Britain during the COVID-19 pandemic. It used cross-sectional data (February to November 2021) from the Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS), with 14215 participants aged 18-75 from 21 ethnic groups in Britain. Weighted logistic regression models examined ethnic inequalities in loneliness across 21 disaggregated and 6 aggregated groups, both unadjusted and adjusted for socio-demographics. This study found higher odds of loneliness among most ethnic minority groups, with nuanced differences that were overlooked in aggregated analyses. Socio-demographics explained disparities for some ethnic groups, while differences in others remained after adjustment, suggesting additional factors driving these differences.