Sources and method – Loneliness

These 15 topic pages are based on statutory texts (gesetze-im-internet.de), publications of the BMBFSFJ (Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth) and the Kompetenznetz Einsamkeit (Loneliness Competence Network), officially backed studies (DZA/DEAS, RKI/GEDA, BiB/FReDA) and information from the advice providers named (TelefonSeelsorge, Silbernetz, Nummer gegen Kummer, NAKOS and others). The "Sources" field of each topic page gives the specific references.

Sources

1. Gesetze im Internet (gesetze-im-internet.de) Federal Ministry of Justice and Federal Office of Justice, retrieved September 2026: consolidated versions of SGB V (§§ 13, 27, 76), SGB VI (§§ 46, 97), SGB VIII (§§ 11, 28), SGB IX (§ 167), SGB XI (§ 45b), ArbSchG (§ 5), EStG (§ 3 Nr. 26, 26a), BFDG (§ 3). Basis for all sections cited in the text.
2. BMBFSFJ, Nationale Strategie gegen Einsamkeit (National Strategy against Loneliness) Cabinet decision December 2023 with 111 individual measures, retrieved September 2026 (bmbfsfj.bund.de). Basis for describing the structure and aims of the federal strategy.
3. Kompetenznetz Einsamkeit Coordinating office of the National Strategy against Loneliness (based at the Institut für Sozialarbeit und Sozialpädagogik, ISS), loneliness barometer based on the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) and practice recommendations, retrieved September 2026 (kompetenznetz-einsamkeit.de).
4. Deutsches Zentrum für Altersfragen (DZA, German Centre of Gerontology), Deutscher Alterssurvey (DEAS) 2025 survey wave, DZA Aktuell 03/2025 (dza.de). Basis for statements on loneliness in different age groups.
5. Robert Koch-Institut, Journal of Health Monitoring 3/2023 Prevalence of loneliness among older adults in Germany, GEDA study (rki.de). Basis for statements on the link between loneliness and health.
6. TelefonSeelsorge telefonseelsorge.de, retrieved September 2026. Basis for availability, sponsorship and usage figures.
7. Silbernetz e. V. silbernetz.org, retrieved September 2026. Basis for the Silbertelefon/Silbernetz-Freund*innen service for people aged 60 and over.
8. Nummer gegen Kummer e. V. nummergegenkummer.de, retrieved September 2026. Basis for the children's and youth helpline and the parents' helpline.
9. Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Seniorenorganisationen (BAGSO) / Deutschland sicher im Netz digital-kompass.de, bagso.de, retrieved September 2026. Basis for information on the Digital-Kompass.
10. BMBFSFJ, Bundesprogramm Mehrgenerationenhaus (federal multi-generation house programme) mehrgenerationenhaeuser.de, retrieved September 2026. Basis for information on the number and offer of multi-generation houses.
11. Bundesamt für Familie und zivilgesellschaftliche Aufgaben (BAFzA, Federal Office for Family Affairs and Civil Society Functions) bafza.de, retrieved September 2026. Basis for information on the Federal Volunteer Service (Bundesfreiwilligendienst).
12. Nationale Kontakt- und Informationsstelle zur Anregung und Unterstützung von Selbsthilfegruppen (NAKOS) nakos.de, retrieved September 2026. Basis for information on self-help groups and self-help contact points.
13. Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss (G-BA), Psychotherapie-Richtlinie (psychotherapy guideline) Version as of 19 March 2026, in force since 17 June 2026 (g-ba.de). Basis for the course of consultation hours, trial sessions, short-/long-term therapy and group therapy.
14. Bundespsychotherapeutenkammer (BPtK, Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists) Practice survey on waiting times for a psychotherapy place, retrieved September 2026 (bptk.de). Basis for the figure of an average waiting time of around 20 weeks; expressly marked as a survey value, not an official full census.
15. WHO, ICD-11 Prolonged Grief Disorder (6C43), retrieved September 2026 (icd.who.int). Basis for the description of prolonged grief disorder.
16. Deutsche Rentenversicherung Information on widow's/widower's pension, retrieved September 2026 (deutsche-rentenversicherung.de).
17. Buecker, S. & Neuber, A. (2024) Loneliness as a health risk – narrative review (PMC11424731). Basis for the link between loneliness and mental and physical health.
18. Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung (BiB, Federal Institute for Population Research), FReDA panel bib.bund.de, retrieved September 2026. Officially backed data source on family and relationships, cited among other things as a counterpoint to private youth studies.

Where information is expressly marked as uncertain

For some figures, no direct, clearly comparable primary source could be found during research, or several sources contradicted each other methodologically. This applies in particular to:

• The three central prevalence figures on loneliness in Germany (Kompetenznetz loneliness barometer/SOEP, DEAS/DZA, RKI/GEDA) are based on different scales, age groups and survey years and cannot be compared directly. On the pages concerned they are always given with source and survey year, never blended into a single figure.
• Private surveys on loneliness among young people commissioned by foundations or companies (e.g. health insurers, mobile network providers) were deliberately not reproduced with their own percentages, as their methodology is not officially reviewed; instead, reference is made to officially backed sources such as the FReDA panel.
• The exact rule on carrying unused relief amounts (§ 45b Abs. 3 SGB XI) over into the following year could not be conclusively verified against a primary source during this research (page "Relatives and neighbourhood help"). The page expressly refers readers to ask the care insurance fund (Pflegekasse) about this.
• The exact, currently applicable implementation of the deregulation of the recognition requirement for voluntary neighbourhood helpers since 15 October 2025 differs by federal state; a uniform nationwide detailed rule is deliberately not asserted.
• For international mortality or illness risks due to loneliness (often from Anglo-American studies), no specific risk ratios are deliberately given, as they cannot readily be transferred to the German health system (page "Loneliness and physical health").
• For the prevalence of loneliness specifically at work, and for the effectiveness of volunteering or digital participation against loneliness, there is no reliable nationally representative figure; the pages concerned word this cautiously, without inventing figures of their own.
• The average waiting time of around 20 weeks for a psychotherapy place comes from a practice survey by the Bundespsychotherapeutenkammer (BPtK), not from an official full census, and is marked accordingly as a survey value.

In all these cases the topic page concerned names the uncertainty expressly, rather than presenting a figure or assessment as established fact.

What this platform does – and what it does not

• Figures, deadlines and legal bases come from the sources named. Nothing was added that is not supported there. Where a figure could not be reliably verified, this is stated expressly on the page concerned and here, rather than guessed.
• Different studies on the prevalence of loneliness that are not methodologically comparable are named side by side with their respective sources, not blended into a single figure.
• These pages do not replace legal advice, a medical diagnosis or individual psychotherapy. In an acute emergency, always call the emergency number 112 first.
• Offers that differ by region or municipality (e.g. neighbourhood help, neighbourhood management, crisis services) are labelled "varies by municipality/region" rather than given an invented nationwide figure.
• For acute warning signs (e.g. suicidal thoughts) get help immediately – see When professional help is needed and TelefonSeelsorge and crisis services.