This April I had the chance to visit the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Institute of Demography (NIDI) thanks to the TAV Coordinate programme. I had been looking forward to this opportunity to re-connect with the Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) data as well as with the NIDI team. During the research visit I explored the GGS data to study loneliness among young adults as well as among middle-aged people.
Recently, loneliness has been reported to be one of the major public health concerns, affecting young and old the most. However, previous life events and factors leading to loneliness are less understood. Using the GGS data, I tried to understand what the circumstances and factors experienced during different stages of life are that might explain loneliness. First, I looked at childhood circumstances and young adults’ current life factors, including social network characteristics, that might relate to loneliness outcomes among young adults. For those in middle-age I explored the role of family formation experiences since age 20.
This research visit provided a good opportunity to consult on GGS data with the GGS coordinating team, and present preliminary findings of my research to them. I received valuable feedback from the GGS team and other NIDI researchers that helped to refine my research questions and next analytical steps. Having other TAV Coordinate visitors there at the same time contributed to the discussion as well. It was very interesting to hear about different work from other researchers in NIDI through their research seminar series.
This research visit turned out to be a productive and fruitful stay in the Hague. While the city is definitely beautiful, with especially the sea worth visiting, April can be a moody month. So, an umbrella and a raincoat are always good to have at hand.
Liili Abuladze
Estonian Institute for Population Studies, Tallinn University
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