Tools
Loneliness check: three questions
Three short questions researchers use to measure loneliness. Answer for yourself, or ask your loved one. Results stay private in this browser.
Do this first
Choose who is answering, then answer the three questions about the last few weeks. It takes less than a minute. Nothing is sent anywhere.
These three questions are a short loneliness scale based on the longer UCLA Loneliness Scale. Researchers designed it in 2004 for large surveys of older adults, and it is now used in many countries. The fourth, optional question is the U.K.'s direct question about loneliness. Each answer scores 1, 2 or 3, so the total is between 3 and 9.
Asking your loved one? Read the questions out, in your own words if that helps, and mark the answer they give. Please don't guess for them. Choose a calm moment, and let them know there are no wrong answers.
What the score means
- 3 to 5: not much loneliness right now.
- 6 to 7: some loneliness. This is very common.
- 8 to 9: a lot of loneliness. That is hard, and worth taking seriously, like any other signal about health.
The three groups are this guide's own plain-language way of describing scores; they are not official cut-offs. The check is a snapshot, not a diagnosis. Loneliness goes up and down with health, the seasons and life events. Doing the check again in a month or two, after trying a few changes, can show whether things are moving.
What to do next
- For your loved one: Helping your loved one stay connected.
- For you: When caregiving gets lonely.
- To understand it better: Loneliness and isolation in later life.
Sources
Last reviewed: October 9, 2026