Monash study of 7,434 older Australians finds no effect of retirement on loneliness

A research team led by Monash University found no statistically significant effect of retirement on loneliness among older Australians. The study was published on 31 July 2026 in Scientific Reports doi.orgScientific Reportsdoi.orgOpen source ↗. The researchers followed 7,434 Australians aged 55 to 75 for nearly two decades, using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey doi.orgScientific Reportsdoi.orgOpen source ↗.

The survey asks respondents about feelings of loneliness in every wave (year), which allowed the authors to track the same people before and after they stopped working doi.orgScientific Reportsdoi.orgOpen source ↗. According to lead author Dr Johannes Kunz of Monash University's Centre for Health Economics, loneliness did not change in the three years before retirement or in the three years after.

Data and method

To separate the effect of retirement from other factors, the authors used a fixed-effects instrumental variables (FE-IV) strategy. It treats eligibility for the Australian Age Pension as an exogenous determinant of the decision to retire doi.orgScientific Reportsdoi.orgOpen source ↗. The analysis showed no statistically significant effect of retirement on loneliness doi.orgScientific Reportsdoi.orgOpen source ↗.

The authors interpret this as a sign that most people adapt to retirement successfully and that retirement itself may not substantially alter social connectedness doi.orgScientific Reportsdoi.orgOpen source ↗.

Results across groups

The result was consistent across demographic groups and individual circumstances, including different incomes, levels of wealth and occupational backgrounds doi.orgScientific Reportsdoi.orgOpen source ↗. Kunz said the team had expected some groups to be affected more strongly, such as people who are single, unwell, on lower incomes or leaving blue-collar jobs. None of them were more likely to be lonely as a result of retirement. The findings were the same whether or not people had grandchildren, volunteered or belonged to clubs.

About one in six older adults (17.5 per cent) reported high loneliness, saying they often feel very lonely. Kunz said loneliness tends to rise continuously from the late 60s, and that the general effect of ageing, rather than the transition out of work, appears to drive it. He cited other work showing that losing a spouse has a profound effect on the perception of loneliness.

The authors say policy efforts to reduce loneliness might therefore look beyond the retirement transition and focus on sustained social engagement throughout later life doi.orgScientific Reportsdoi.orgOpen source ↗. Kunz added that the results bear on debates about pension ages, as Australia and other countries, such as Denmark, are raising eligibility requirements.