FAQs

What is this project about and why does it matter?
This project is called the Australian Social Connection and Belonging Survey. The aim of this project is to validate a measure of loneliness in the Australian adults, understand the distribution of loneliness across the Australian population, and examine the relationship between loneliness and other variables (e.g., a sense of belonging, mental health). Project results will assist researchers and clinicians in better assessing, identifying, and addressing loneliness in Australia.

Who is running this project?
The project is led by researchers from Swinburne University of Technology, University of Western Australia, Ending Loneliness Together, Monash University, Curtin University, and Wallis Social Research. You can see researchers contact details at the end of this list.

What would participation in this study involve?
Participation in this research involves the completion of an online survey that takes about 8 minutes. The survey asks about some basic demographic information (e.g., age), and also involves the completion of a set of standardised questionnaires on loneliness, mental health, and sense of belonging. This online survey can be completed at the time and place of your choosing.

Additionally, participants have the option of completing a follow-up online survey 1-month after the completion of the first survey. This follow-up survey is shorter, taking only about 3 minutes, asking questions about loneliness and mental health. At the end of the first survey, you will be asked whether you are interested in doing that follow-up survey.

Completion of both surveys is helpful for our research but is not required; you can just do the first 8-minute survey without doing the follow-up survey. If you choose to do the follow-up survey, we will ask for your contact details (email and phone number) so that we can send that survey to you and link your responses to the initial survey.

Are there benefits or risks involved with participating?
In terms of benefits of participating, loneliness is a significant public health issue – therefore valid assessment of loneliness is crucial. Our study will help to improve the assessment and intervention of loneliness in Australia, and yield significant benefits for the community.

In terms of risks of participating, the questionnaires used in this survey are standardised self-report measures regularly used in research settings. There is a minor risk that you may feel some discomfort or distress when reflecting on your emotions or social situation.

If I start participating, but then change my mind, can I quit the study?
Participation in this research project is voluntary. If you do not wish to take part, you do not have to. If you decide to participate and later change your mind, you are free to withdraw from the project at any stage without penalty. Please ensure you read this Participant Information Statement so you can make an informed decision.

You can withdraw from the project during the survey by closing your web browser (not completing the survey), or after the survey you can contact the research team to request that your data be removed from the dataset.

How will my data be used if I participate in this study?
Data collection in this study is being conducted by Wallis Social Research (https://www.wallis.social/privacy). All data will be stored electronically. Wallis Social Research will ask for your email and phone number, so as to link your initial survey and 1-month follow-up results. This information will only be available to a select few employees at Wallis Social Research; data will be encrypted and require multifactor authentication to access. Wallis Social Research will provide us with a de-identified dataset for analysis. This de-identified data will be stored electronically (password protected) on One Drive for Business via Swinburne University for the research team to access. After project completion, a copy of the de-identified dataset will also be made available to other researchers via the Open Science Forum (https://osf.io/), to enable future research on loneliness. In this way, de-identified data will be kept for an indefinite period.

Participants in this project also have an option to consent to be part of the Social Relationship, Health and Wellbeing Database, administered by Ending Loneliness Together to allow participants to have the opportunity to participate in further studies related to social relationships, health, and wellbeing. In this case Swinburne, Wallis, and Ending Loneliness Together will retain a list of names and emails in an excel sheet (password protected) and saved onto OneDrive for a period of 5 years. After 5 years all identifiable data will be deleted.

Will the results of this study be published anywhere?
The results from this research project will be published in academic journals and presented at national and international conferences. Wallis Social Research may also use the results of the research in their company promotional materials. You will not be personally identifiable in any of these published results. A summary of the project findings (after project completion) can be made available to you by contacting the research team.

Who can I contact for support if I’m experiencing loneliness or distress in my life?
If you are experiencing distress in your life and would like formal assistance, you might like to consider the following services:

Making an appointment with your local General Practitioner or any doctor: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/australian-health-services

Making an appointment with a psychologist:
https://www.psychology.org.au/Find-a-Psychologist/Connect-Psychologist

If you are experiencing a crisis and cannot contact a doctor/psychologist or need help urgently, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Who can I contact if I want more information about the study?
If you would like further information about the project, please contact the research team:

Dr Michelle Lim
Senior Lecturer & Registered Clinical Psychologist
Swinburne University of Technology
Phone: 61-3-9214-5109
Email: mlim@swin.edu.au

Dr David Preece
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow & Registered Psychologist
Curtin University
Email: david.preece@curtin.edu.au

Professor Johanna Badcock
Adjunct Professor of Psychology
University of Western Australia
Email: johanna.badcock@uwa.edu.au

Dr Kelly-Ann Allen
Senior Lecturer & Educational and Developmental Psychologist
Monash University
Email: kelly-ann.allen@monash.edu

Mr Martin Ho
Wallis Social Research
Email: martinh@wallisgroup.com.au