Family, Collectivism, and Loneliness from a Cross-Country Perspective

Previous research shows that marriage and family support are associated with less loneliness, but evidence is largely from developed countries in the West. We focus on the association between country-level collectivism and loneliness, and whether collectivism moderates the well-known effects of marriage and family on loneliness. Our analysis of data from 29 countries in the International Social Survey Programme’s 2017 Social Networks and Social Resources module shows that individuals who live in a more collectivist country are less likely to report feeling lonely. Our analysis further suggests that the negative association between marriage and loneliness is attenuated for those living in more collectivistic countries, especially among men. We also find a negative association of expectation of emotional support from family in times of need with loneliness, and this relationship is weaker for residents of more collectivistic countries. We discuss implications of our findings for future research on loneliness across diverse societies.