“Sounding the Loneliness Alarm”: Loneliness Problematized in a Nordic Welfare State

Countries around the world are embracing loneliness reduction as a matter of public policy. Among the first countries to do so was Norway, which has included loneliness in its public health white papers since 2015. The country released its first dedicated loneliness strategy in 2019 as part of that year’s Public Health White Paper. The Norwegian context proves interesting due to the country’s unique Public Health Act, which acknowledges health inequalities and the country’s solidarity principle in policymaking. The current paper utilizes the What is the Problem Represented to Be (WPR) approach with the aim of exploring problematizations of loneliness in policy and political speech. Our findings reveal that loneliness is problematized as a threat to public health and the sustainability of the welfare state. Stigma-reducing public health campaigns and more research are among proposals at the population level to reduce loneliness stigma. While structural causes of loneliness are at times discussed, interventions address loneliness at an individual level. The authors argue a public health approach to loneliness may unintentionally increase othering and create anxiety in those experiencing it.